


Love is a Polaroid

by Vertencar



Series: Listen to the Sound of a New Tomorrow [5]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Family, Fluff, Humor, Pond Family, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-17
Updated: 2017-10-11
Packaged: 2018-09-25 04:49:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 32,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9803249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vertencar/pseuds/Vertencar
Summary: Their relationship is twisty and messy, full of ups, downs and even sideways at times. But in the end, it's the two of them. Everlastingly loving and powerful...[Series of One-Shots]





	1. In the Night I'm Standing

**Author's Note:**

> It's a collection of small moments between River and the Doctor when she's at University. IMPORTANT THING : just so you know, for me River stays at University three years and the chapters are dispatched throughout those three years. I'll be putting on a note at what point a story is taking place. To finish, the chapters aren't in any particular order so don't be weirded out by me jumping from one year to another. 
> 
> Story title comes from 'Polaroid' by Imagine Dragons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Story takes place nearly three month after their first date, they're already in a relationship at the moment.

The sound of a door closing down the hall indicated that Amy and Rory were both in their bedroom and ready to go to sleep. River opened her eyes from her position on her bed and a small smile graced her lips. _Finally _.__

__Throwing back the cover, she made her way silently to her door. With the greatest discretion she had in her, River opened her door and peeked outside to see if everyone was really asleep. A faint glow was coming from downstairs indicating that the person in there was still awake. Good, she thought with a grin still adorning her face. Making sure the parquet beneath her feet wouldn’t crack as she tiptoed, she made her way to the stairs and slowly descended them._ _

__Once she knew she was out of earshot, she ran on tiptoe towards the source of light. Arriving in front of the kitchen door, which was closed, she slowly opened it. The cracking of the door made the Doctor look up from his tingling on the kitchen table. He had his sleeves rolled up and his hair were messed up, probably because he had been passing his hand through it multiple times._ _

__At River’s sight, he opened his mouth to say something but she quickly placed her finger over her own lips in a silence sign. The Doctor closed his mouth instantly and watched her with a curious look as he dropped his screwdriver and the other tools he had in his hands on the table._ _

__River approached him and whispered, "My parents are asleep, or they will be at any moment now." As she approached him, the Doctor moved back his chair to give her his full attention. Promptly, she dropped in his lap, straddling him and she put her her arms around his neck, nuzzling her face in it. "And, I wanted to say goodnight to you." Her voice was muffled by his shoulder and he chuckled slightly._ _

__Placing his arms around her waist and soothing a hand down her back, the Doctor whispered back, "Tell me again, why do we have to hide from your parents?" He toyed with the hem of her camisole that was riding up her back and lightly caressed the exposed skin he found there. He repressed a grin as a shudder ran through River’s body at the touch._ _

__She straightened her head from the position on his shoulder and kissed his jaw in the process. Locking eyes with him, she responded, "Because you know how my father would react." Stopping him from cutting her, River placed a finger over his mouth and continued, "And yes, I know, we will tell them one day but I don’t think _they _are ready yet to hear that we are together."___ _

____The Doctor nodded in understanding and kissed the finger that was still placed over his lips. River smiled and removed her finger to kiss him properly. The kiss was slow and tender as they lazily explored each other’s mouth. A small sigh from River made the Doctor tighten his grip around her hips and he opened his mouth under hers to grant her access. The light stroke of his tongue against her own made River’s hearts beat faster in her small ribcage. They parted with heavy breathing and River placed her forehead over the Doctor’s._ _ _ _

____"But," he began, still regaining his breath, "Don’t you think it would be great to no longer have to hide from them?" He felt River nod against him. "We could kiss freely in front of them and we could do what we’re currently doing freely."_ _ _ _

____River snorted at that, "I don’t think they would allow me straddling you in their kitchen in the middle of the night." She gazed at him playfully and pecked his cheek affectionately._ _ _ _

____The Doctor chuckled, "Yes, well…" He lowered his hands down her back towards her bottom and squeezed her ass through the fabric of her pyjamas. "Nobody will know about that, eh?" He pulled her to him and she responded with a positive hum, tracing the outline of his mouth with her thumb._ _ _ _

____He leaned forwards for another kiss, which she gladly gave. After that, River placed her head on his shoulder in the comfort of his arms. She looked around them and saw all the electric wires lying on the table with the Doctor’s screwdriver lying beside them._ _ _ _

____"Still nothing then." She said in the crook of his neck and she felt his chest vibrating as he hummed lazily. Since yesterday morning the TARDIS had been down and wouldn’t want to move from its position. The Doctor was stuck in Leadworth and he has been desperately trying to make it operate again but nothing was working for now. Hopefully, Amy and Rory had been kind enough to let him stay the night at their house as the Doctor wasn’t even able to make the doors of the TARDIS open._ _ _ _

____"You know," he said, after a minute of silence." If we had told your parents we were together, they would have let me sleep in your bed." River hummed in agreement and kissed his neck. "Because, do you know how the couch is killing my neck?" He half-joked and River chuckled before placing another kiss on his neck._ _ _ _

____The Doctor stroked River’s back lazily as he felt her dropping off on his shoulder some minutes later._ _ _ _

____"You should go to sleep." He whispered to her but she groaned and tightened her hands on his shirt, adamant to let go of him. "River, I know you and most importantly I know you in the morning when you’re not in a good mood." She snorted into his shirt. "So, go get your beauty sleep while I work on the TARDIS wires."_ _ _ _

____She straightened and rubbed her eyes while mumbling a ‘okay’ to him. Getting off his lap, she leaned to give him a kiss on the mouth and murmured, "Goodnight Sweetie."_ _ _ _

____"Goodnight, my River." He responded with a smile gracing his lips. He then watched her make her way lazily out of the kitchen and into the hall. The soft sound of a door closing above him indicated his girlfriend had reclaimed her bed._ _ _ _


	2. And There You Are, by My Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This takes place somewhere in the middle on her second year at Luna.

"River…" sighed the Doctor from her bed. "I’m bored."

He had removed his boots and his jacket and was lying on River’s bed. Being bored, he was currently toying with the remote control of the TV in front of the bed. There was only crap on TV, he had a choice between an English baking show or some dull informations about Eilede ‘The Singing Zygon’ Wolda. He had read every book that River had here, but most of them were about archeology so they were not interesting. And River was still working on her exam for tomorrow morning. That meant he was bored.

River didn’t look up from her laptop but hummed in response. 

"River…" repeated the Doctor. He swung his legs over the bed. Sitting on the edge of it now, he watched River as she studied. She had told him she had a really important exam for tomorrow but tomorrow could be any time. That’s what the TARDIS was for.

River sighed and turned around to face him. "Sweetie, I need to study and you’re annoying."

The Doctor pouted in response." Come on, you can study plenty whenever you want. We have the TARDIS for that." He said with puppy eyes he knew would make River agree.

"No, Doctor. I told you I don’t want to cheat in that way," As he opened his mouth to speak, she cut him, "Yes, it’s cheating. And I want to do things the proper way."

Sighing, the Doctor leaned over to put his elbows on his knees, cushioning his chin with a palm. A idea came to his mind as a grin crossed his face. "You could take a break." He said suggestively, stroking River’s skin that was showing between her jeans and t-shirt.

At the touch, River jerked away being ticklish. "No, stop it." She swatted his hand away. But the Doctor, being told not to continue, carried on teasing her with a smirk adorning his face. Squirming in her chair to avoid the Doctor’s wandering hands, River tried to catch his arm to stop him. "Doctor, stop it you’re being childish."

He stilled his hands and pouted once again. He got up from the bed and came to place himself behind River’s chair. After rubbing River’s shoulders, he swiped her hair to one side to place a lingering kiss at the base of her neck. "Come on…" River slightly tilted her head to grant him access and he felt the small intake of breath she took at the touch. He trailed kisses down her neck as he whispered seductively, "I could help you relax."

River turned around to face him with a raised eyebrow, a tiny smile ghosting her lips. "Is that a promise?" She asked in a suggestive tone.

"Is that a yes?" He responded in the same tone.

River chuckled in response, "You are so full of yourself. What make you think I’ll say yes?" She looked at him with the most seductive grin, the Doctor thought as she crossed her arms over her chest. He knew River wanted to say yes but she was playing her little game of winding him up. Two could play this game.

The Doctor smirked and moved forward to place himself between River’s legs which easily opened to accommodate him. He walked his fingers up her thighs teasingly. River dropped her gaze to look at his fingers, they stopped just beneath the hem of her jeans. She then locked eyes with him, her gaze lust filled. As the Doctor’s gazed at her parted lips, she felt heat in her lower abdomen. 

Looking at her in the eyes, the Doctor tightened his grip around her hips. "Because I know you want it as much as I do."

Raising an eyebrow to challenge him, River teasingly placed her hands on the hem of the doctor’s trousers. She kept eye contact with him as she traveled her fingers up his body. Slowly, she traced the outline of his ribs and finally reached his neck. The Doctor could not repress a moan as he leaned a little in expectation. River untied delicately the bowtie around his neck and gently folded it as it found its place on her desk. 

As she broke eye contact, the Doctor tightened his grip on her hips and went to unbutton the single button on River’s jeans but she tutted him to make him stop his action. She returned to her prior gesture as she found the Doctor’s neck once again. Deliberately slowly, she unbuttoned the first two buttons of his shirt, leaving his neck free. As she ran a hand around his neck, he could not suppress a guttural moan. River drew his face close to her, creeping her hand at the base of his hair. He closed his eyes in expectation of what was to come. But, at the Doctor’s frustration, she stopped millimetres from her face. 

Sensing that nothing was happening, he blinked to find River smiling at him like the Cheshire cat. "Gotcha."

No longer able to wait, he crashed his lips against River’s mouth. A little moan of surprise escaped her but she responded eagerly, tightening her grip on his neck and through his hair. It was not an innocent kiss. It was a passionate and fiery kiss which was leading to further exploration of each other.

The Doctor pressed his tongue to the seam of her lips, asking for entrance that she greatly granted. He removed one hand from her hips to place it on her cheek and brought her to him as he straightened up. She let out a faint whimper and followed his movement. Their mouths were still exploring each other, River’s tongue was stroking the inside of his mouth. He tasted like the Chinese takeout they had eaten earlier. 

The Doctor slid his hand to grasp River’s ass. Without warning he howled her to him, making her stand up as she let escape a small gasp, breaking the kiss. They regained their breath as he rested his forehead against hers.

River put her arms around his neck as the Doctor still grasped her ass through her jeans. She returned to kissing him, her mouth traced the outline of his jaw before coming back to his mouth as she undid the buttons of his shirt with expert hands. 

Removing his braces and letting them hang, she pulled his shirt out of his trousers. The Doctor pulled River’s t-shirt over her head, her hair cascading down her shoulders when he did so. Freeing himself from his shirt and dropping it to the floor, he returned his hands to River’s now exposed body and cupped her breasts through her bra. A moan of pleasure escaped her lips as he rolled his thumbs over her hard nipples. She lowered her hands to unfasten the Doctor’s trousers and cupped him through his boxer. With a strangled moan, he thrusted into her hand and made a quick work of removing his trousers. 

Pulling her close to make her feel his erection, he guided her to the bed. She promptly fell onto it, taking him with her. He captured her lips with his own once again and detached her bra. Taking a moment to watch her full breasts fitting perfectly in his hands, he then processed to trail kisses down her throat and her chest and took one breasts in his mouth. River moaned and arched her back in pleasure to the Doctor’s ministration. He lapped at her nipple with the tip of his tongue while stroking her other breasts with the palm of his hand. River gripped his hair and begged him with moans to go lower. 

He released her nipple with a pop and made his way down. He quickly unbuttoned River’s jeans and slid them down her legs soon followed by her knickers. The scent of her invaded his senses and he felt his erection aching through his boxer. River howled him up by the hair to give him a bruising kiss. She cradled him between her legs and he could feel her wetness against him.

Every part of his skin was in contact with River’s, the only piece of tissue separating them was his boxer. He let out a long moan as she lifted her hips to rub against his erection. Her core brushed against him, leaving a damp spot on his boxer, and they broke the kiss as they both let out a moan of pleasure.

The Doctor lowered his hand down River’s body to find damp curls at the apex of her sex. He gently rubbed at her clit and watched her face being the definition of pleasure, her eyes were closed and her mouth was slightly open. Still rubbing her clit with one hand, he placed his other hand behind River’s neck.

"Look at me."

She obliged, opening her eyes to find his dark and filled with lust. Without warning, he pushed two fingers inside of her, making her cry out in pleasure. He began pumping them in and out of her at a low rhythm as she arched her back for more friction. She was making the most obscene noises as she tried to keep eye contact with him. The Doctor could see that she was close to climax, he could feel her tightening around his fingers. She fisted the sheets of the bed when the Doctor rubbed her clit once again with more fervour this time. Her breathing was becoming more erratic as she felt the tension build up inside her. When the Doctor curled his finger just so inside of her, she came with a shout. Her eye rolling orgasm made the Doctor nearly come into his pants. He licked his fingers, tasting River on his hand, as she went down of her high. 

He scooted closer and placed his arms on both side of River’s head, kissing her and making her taste herself on his mouth. She sighed in his mouth, totally spent.

"I hope you’re not tired already." he whispered teasingly, rubbing his prominent erection against her to make her understand his point.

River smiled in his mouth and hooked a leg around his waist. She tightened her leg to pull his hips into her. The Doctor removed his boxer in one swift motion and returned to his place between River’s legs. Taking him in hand, River pumped him as he placed his face in the crook of her neck to suppress a moan. If she kept doing this, he wasn’t going to last long. 

"Please…" His begging was muffled by her hair, "I’m not gonna last long if you keep…" He let out a long moan as she brushed her thumb over the tip of his cock. "...doing this."

She released him and took a condom that was in her nightstand. Tearing it with her teeth, she rolled it over his cock. Taking the Doctor’s face in her hands, she guided him into a laying position and he hovered over her with his arms on both side to give him balance. He positioned himself between her legs, teasing her entrance with the tip of his cock. She whined under him, grabbing his ass as he finally entered her inch by inch. They both sighed in pleasure while the Doctor adjusted into her. Begging him to move, he pulled out to slam back into her, producing a cry of pleasure from River. 

She put her legs around his hips for him to go deeper, which elicited a guttural growl from the Doctor as he moved in and out of her. Every thrust made her go higher and see stars. The Doctor put his face in River’s neck as the tension was building higher and his movements were becoming more frantic. Raising her hips at every thrust, River lowered her hand to rub at her clit but the Doctor batted her hand away to do it himself. He pressed his thumb to her clit and she fell apart in his arms for the second time of the night. After two more thrusts, he came with a cry, collapsing on top of her. 

After regaining his breath, he discarded the condom in the trash bin next to River’s desk. At the sudden loss of warmth, River groaned and cowered on the bed. But the Doctor quickly came back and wrapped her in his arms, nuzzling his nose against her cheek. River opened her mouth to a lazy kiss and when they broke away she opened her eyes to find the Doctor staring back at her. His eyes held such tenderness she felt her hearts jumping out of her ribcage. She traced the outlines of his face with a finger as he smiled softly.

"I love you." He whispered, brushing a curl out of her eyes.

She smiled fondly, taking his chin in her hand and dropping a kiss to his mouth. "I love you, too." She murmured against his mouth.

After a moment, they decided to get under the cover. River placed a leg between the Doctor’s legs and put her head on his chest, listening to the beating of his hearts. Wrapped around each other, the Doctor passed his hand through her curls gently. He let go of her hair and began to draw patterns on her back. 

A startle from River took him out of his sleepy haze. "I haven’t finished my work!" She made a move to get up but the Doctor howled her to him and she fell flush against his chest.

"Don’t care." He mumbled, tightening his grip around her waist. 

After a moment, she relaxed and settled onto the Doctor once again. He kissed the crown of her head. Soon, sleep overtook him and he fell into slumber. River fell asleep some minutes after, totally relaxed and the sound of the Doctor’s heartsbeat under her head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I can't write smut but at least I tried. But you can tell me if you liked it or hated it :)


	3. You're Making Me Feel Young Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is based on a prompt by OTP prompt on Tumblr. "Person A and C are roommates and live together. Person A and B (partners) did the do last night, and at breakfast the next morning, C randomly says "You guys have loud sex." A and B’s reaction is up to the writer."
> 
> Enjoy!

River and the Doctor stood in her tiny kitchen at her dorm, they were both drinking their morning tea and looking half awake. River was wearing the Doctor’s shirt which was very much revealing what was underneath, meaning her bare skin.

The Doctor wasn’t much better himself as he leaned on the worktop with only his trousers on and a pair of socks. He sipped his tea, watching River putting her hair into a bun. The action made the shirt ride up her thigh, revealing a bit too much of skin for the Doctor’s liking.

He grunted and River looked at him curiously. "You’re torturing me, woman." With a hand, he tugged her to him and she snuggled into his bare chest. 

The Doctor caressed her thigh under the shirt and she looked at him with a teasing smile. She pecked him on the mouth, "Stop it, we don’t have time."

"We always have time." He responded, pulling her hips to him to make her feel him already getting hard. 

With a smile, she rubbed her hips into him, eliciting a moan from him. "Yes, but not now."

"I have the impression your mind is saying no but your body is saying yes." He whispered into her ear as he traveled his hand between her thighs to feel her already wet.

In the distance, they heard to door of the bathroom opening and footsteps padding down the hallway in the direction of the kitchen. River let go of the Doctor and leaned on the worktop in front of him, she watched him being flustered and trying to hide the problem he was having right now.

She resumed drinking her tea when Shari, her roommate, entered the kitchen. If someone saw them at this instant they would have guessed what they were about to do minutes ago. 

"Morning River. Hi Doc." They both responded a greeting as she served herself a cup of tea. "Slept well?"

River hummed and cast a meaningful glance at the Doctor and he raised an eyebrow in response. "Yes, you?"

Shari groaned and leaned on the worktop, her face in her cup of tea. "You guys have loud sex."

River chuckled at the remark and the Doctor nearly choked on his tea. A blush crept to his face, remembering the night he had with River.

River mouthed a ‘sorry’ but didn’t appear to be sorry in the slightest. She shifted her weight against the worktop and the shirt rode up a bit, the Doctor’s eyes dropped to her bare thighs.

Shari spoke up, unaware of River’s teasing smile directed to the Doctor and his hilarious face as he tried to hide himself as best he could. "I take solace in the fact that I wasn’t the only one not able to sleep."

River hummed in agreement, still looking at the Doctor with a meaningful gaze. She pushed herself away from the worktop, "Well, I’m going to take a shower." She announced as she made her way out of the kitchen and into the bathroom.

"Wait for me." The Doctor shouted as he made his way to the bathroom too.

The sound of a door slamming shut and giggles echoed through the flat. Shari sighed.


	4. Penguins?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, why am I writing about penguins?  
> Second, why do I always hear Benedict Cumberbatch saying penguins in my ear when I think about it?  
> This is mildly disturbing...

"Boring, boring, bo-...uhm, nah, boring." The Doctor muttered while changing through the TV channels at River’s dorm, nothing on TV was ever interesting these days. This was becoming a habit but the Doctor had been staying the night more and more at River’s dorm. It helped him to sleep, he told himself. And that was true, with River in his arms at night he never had any nightmare or bad dreams and he was always in a good mood in the morning, well, when he slept at night. Not that he didn’t sleep because he had nightmare, he didn’t, that was the point of sleeping with River, but because, well, sometimes...they didn’t sleep. That much. Okay…

So, now, he was comfortably propped up on pillows on her bed, waiting for her and trying to distract himself with the TV. He had promised her a movie tonight, but it wasn’t his fault if nothing was interesting, and then he had already seen every movie ever made at least three times. It had been a boring night, he confessed.

His braces were wringing into his back as he was laying on it and he decided to remove them to be more comfortable. Straightening up, he removed them and placed them next to his already discarded jacket, he took the opportunity to remove his bowtie in the same time. There, perfect. Nothing better than a calm night with the girlfriend to unwind after a busy day. Well, if you would call saving the planet of Sellamis, twice, a busy day. He was still thinking about calling this day a busy day.

"Busy day, ah!" He half-shouted in a whisper to himself. This night was calm and all but the girlfriend still wasn’t there with him. River had told him she was just going to prepare for the night before heading to the bathroom and it had been fifteen minutes ago. Fifteen minutes! This was getting a little bit abusive. How long didn’t it took to brush your teeth and put pyjamas on? Less longer for him!

Sighing, he settled further into the bed and surfed through the channels to catch something interesting. He heard the bathroom door opening and closing from down the hall as River made her way through the dorm. Finally. 

But then he heard the voices of Shari and River as the talked together. Small chuckles echoed from the hall and he groaned as the wait was never to be finished.

Finally, after one or two minutes, River entered her bedroom supporting a thin camisole and pyjama shorts that enhanced her bare legs. After closing the door behind her, she crossed the room and climbed on the bed.

"Well, it took you long enough." The Doctor sulked and crossed his arms over his chest to emphasise his point. Of course, he wasn’t really mad at her but it was always funny to make fun of her.

"Oh, come on, don’t be a baby." River replied on an amused tone, pushing him a bit on the side to make room for her. "Come on, move."

He didn’t budge a bit but a grin began to grace his lips. "Nope."

River stopped in her action and raised an eyebrow at him. "Really?" She said. He was making a point of not looking at her and was internally jubilating of his own action. The small grin adorning his face was the clue. "Well then, you leave me no choice." And with that, she promptly lay on top of him, making him her own mattress. 

"Ouch!" He exclaimed as her whole weight fell into him, forcing him to move a bit to make room for her. But he had another idea in mind, putting his arms around her as for her to not move, he straightened to be in a seated position and placed River between his legs. "Here." He made her lay down, her back touching his chest, and he placed his hands over her stomach.

She made a content noise and settled into him. "Wait." She took her hands to her hair to unfasten her messy bun, letting her curl freely cascade down her shoulders. The Doctor removed her hair from his face with a dramatic puff of breath and River chuckled, "Oh, shut up."

"Not my fault you have too much hair." He replied back, pinching her side and a squeal escaped her.

"Will you," She took his hands in her own to stop him from pinching her again, "stop it."

"Never." He murmured in her hair as a chuckle escaped him. He loved to tease her with things he knew she hated, like the fact that she was ticklish or that her hair was taking too much space in their relationship.

River took the remote of the TV, "So, have you found anything to watch?"

"Well, not really, well, yes I have but everything is boring." River turned her head to him to give him a raised eyebrow. She knew the Doctor had very low patience for movies, especially action movies, god knows why, but that didn’t mean that she felt the same.

"Boring for you or boring for normal people?" She asked with a smile.

"Just boring." He whined.

"Okay, let’s see." River surfed through channels, she found a movie that seemed quite nice. "Look, it’s about a detective investigating on a murd-"

"He dies." The Doctor deadpanned.

"What?" River turned her head to him, confused.

"The detective, he dies, at the end." The Doctor sighed as if it was a common fact, which it wasn’t.

River opened her mouth to say something but then she preferred to slap him slightly on the arm, producing a small ‘Oi’ from him. "This is for spoiling the end of the movie. It’s not because you didn’t like the movie that I wouldn’t have liked it too. Well, good for you then, we won’t have to watch it because you spoiled it." River groaned. "And please, hide that smug grin."

"Oh, there’s no fun with you." He said but tightened his arms around her to snuggle into her.

"Yes, well, you know what, because of you now we’ll have to watch a documentary on penguins." She chuckled as she dropped the remote and settled into him, caressing his hands between her own.

"Could I borrow your socks one day?" River asked after a moment as she turned her head in the direction of the Doctor who was frowning at her, not understanding the sudden interest for his socks. Well, yes, he understood, they were quite cool. It was a cool pattern of a mix of red dots and green dots which created a perfect ensemble. But there was not the point, the point was why would River want to wear those socks.

"Why?" He responded on the defensive. Even if it was his girlfriend who asked them, it was his socks after all.

River chuckled and patted his arm at his confusion. "Because, sometimes, it’s quite cold in there and I don’t have any warm socks. Plus, yours are very...cool." A smile appeared on her face and the Doctor could not stop smiling in return. It’s true, they were cool.

"Yeah, but if I do will I ever see them again?" He said with a grin.

"Yeah, yeah." River nodded while she agreed, "Maybe." The Doctor rolled his eyes and placed a kiss on River’s crown. They then settled to watch the documentary.

After twenty minutes into the documentary, the Doctor was really bored. It’s not that it wasn’t interesting but he already knew everything about penguins, he may have had a master in penguins once, maybe.

Without paying attention, he began to draw patterns on River’s exposed stomach between her camisole and her shorts. A sudden intake of breath from her made him look down at her, he hummed questioningly.

"Stop it." She said, stilling his fingers with her own above her stomach.

He stopped his unconscious movement and realised what he has been doing. Well, his mind was bored and it found itself a better thing to do. And the tingling below his abdomen was telling him to continue. 

He began to travel his finger around the edge of River’s short and he felt her loosening her grip on his fingers. Taking a look at her, his eyes ran up and down her body and stopped at the sight of her cleavage showing quite a lot beneath her camisole. His reaction couldn’t be controlled, she was a goddess beneath his hands. 

"Why?" He murmured into her ear, his fingers travelling just under the hem of her shorts and drawing lazy patterns.

He saw her biting her lower lip, in concentration to not react to his ministration. "Because I’m too tired." She responded, her eyes closing without her own accord. 

Lowering his hand a bit, his fingers found the hem of her knickers and he slipped past them, finding soft curls. "Well, it’s a good thing you don’t have to do anything then."

A soft moan escaped her and he felt her thighs opening wider to grant him access. A smile appeared on his face, River was pliant under his fingers.

He played a bit with the curls at the apex of her sex before lowering his fingers and finding her already wet for him. "My bad girl." Circling her clit with her juice, once, twice, he passed his fingers over her folds to give her the faintest of tingle and tease her. 

A whine from River made him even harder than he already was and he continued his ministration with the intent of making her beg for him. With his other hand, he travelled up her body and under her camisole to take a breast, rolling her nipple between his fingers. She arched her back and he flattened his hand over her stomach to make her stay in place. Stroking his fingers over her wet folds, he took one finger and placed it at her entrance, teasing her.

"Please," She whined under his fingers, begging him to get on with it.

He quickly entered her with one finger, soon followed by a second. A low moan from River made him quicken his pace as he fucked her with his fingers. She gripped his arm that was still stroking her chest to give her more leverage as she felt her orgasm building up inside of her.

His breathing was becoming erratic his her behind her and he wondered if he could come just by watching River having an orgasm. Rubbing his thumb over her clit, he pulled her to him to slid his fingers deeper inside of her. She placed her hand behind his neck and rolled her body over him as she felt her climax coming closer and closer. 

"Come for me, my River." He whispered in her ear. "Make me see how you fall apart for me."

He continued pumping his fingers in and out of her as her cries became more and more erratic. After two more pump with his wrist, she came hard. Her visions was obscured with dark spots as her orgasm ran through her.

The Doctor removed his hand from down her knickers and cuddled into her as she regained her breath. His painful erection was still present but for the moment he took care of River.

Lazily, she turned in his arms, still wasted from her powerful climax. She kissed him, then, slowly lowering her hand to his trousers and proceeded to unfasten his fly and free him from his confined space.

"Let me take care of it." She murmured into his mouth, beginning to stroking his dick. He was already painfully hard and it took only a couple of stroke to set him off and make him come with a moan.

The Doctor sighed after regaining his breath and cuddled into River. When he felt River beginning to drift into sleep, he nudged her to make her slip into the covers. Removing his trousers and his shirt, and not before turning off the TV, he slipped into bed beside River and pulled her in his arms. 

"Love ya." He murmured as he began to fall asleep. He heard River respond, ‘‘ve you too.’ before sleep overtook him.

This was what he called a good night of sleep.


	5. Netflix...and Chill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story takes place six months, or so, after they began dating.
> 
> Very profound researches have been made for this chapter...;)

The sun is rising slowly into the red sky. There is nothing in the horizon except for this mighty bright ball illuminating the firm ground of Earth. The sunbeams reach through the paths of savannah and make the animals look up from their leisure places. The welcoming warmth of the sun makes them peek out from under their resting place. The world is waking up.

The birds and the eagles stretch out their wings and take the first flight of the day. A soft breeze passes through them as they fly next to the waterfall. Under them, the elephants are marching forwards in groups to a determined point. They are awaited. 

All the animals, big and small, are walking in the same direction with a purpose in mind. The antelopes gallop and the giraffes are blinded by the powerful rays of the sun. All kinds of animal are, for once, thinking the same thought and galloping, hopping, squeezing through on the same path. Small animals not afraid of big ones walk alongside them. They are reunited for one and the same thing. The birth of the new lion king…

"It’s the circle of liiiife!"

River shot a meaningful glare at the Doctor, warning him that if he didn’t stop singing right this instant she would throttle him. "Don’t you dare…" She uttered through clenched teeth.

The Doctor turned his head to her and a smirk appeared on his face. "And it moves us aaall." He continued to sing. This made River squint her eyes at him and set her jaw tight.

The smirk on his face extended to a full face grin as he mouthed the words to himself, all the while mimicking the movement shown on the TV in front of them. When he finally raised his hands in the air to recreated the most famous scene of the Lion King, he was met with a cushion thrown full force to his face.

Shooting a outraged look at River for having spoiled his moment, he took the cushion in his hands and retreated to the back of the couch. "You’re no fun." He mumbled.

River rolled her eyes at his exaggeration and replaced her feet on his lap, sinking deeper into the couch. "You’re such a child. You spoiled the whole beginning."

"I spoiled the…" The Doctor stayed stunned by her comment, mouth agape. He had an outraged expression saying 'really?' which made him look like a shocked puppy, well that’s what River thought. Huffing, he pushed River’s feet off his lap and added, "By all means, I enriched it."

River sighed, shaking her head, and replaced her feet once more on the Doctor’s lap. "If you say so…"

The two fell silent, watching the movie in front of them. It was nearly midnight and the Pond house was deadly silent. Amy and Rory had gone to bed early tonight and so, the Doctor and River were alone in their living room. The only source of light came from the lamp on the side table near River’s head. The TV gave a soft glow in the slightly dimmed room.

This was a cosy movie night and the two of them were in their pyjamas, well River was. The Doctor had just removed his jacket, braces and boots to be more comfortable. For her part, River was rocking an old oversized tee-shirt and some loose pyjama bottoms. Their empty mugs were laying on the coffee table, another thing that was laying on the coffee table was the Doctor’s feet.

He caressed River’s shin absent-mindedly, "I know why you like this movie so much." River cast a glance at him at the sound of his voice and wrinkled her eyes, not really understanding him. He chuckled and squeezed her ankle, "It’s the hair…"

River rolled her eyes, not really amused. The Doctor mimicked having a lion's mane around his face and bursted out laughing. This was not the first time someone did the comparison between her hair and a lion’s mane, actually it’s not as if everyday someone felt obliged to make a comment about it. In the long run, this was a bit irritating.

"You know that my feet are like 2 inches away from your private parts and it would take me no time to make you…indisposed." River declared lazily, peeking through her lashes like an innocent child.

The Doctor hastily grabbed one of her feet and used his other hand to cover himself, a look of pure terror on his face. "You wouldn’t." He uttered, raising her foot higher to stop her from doing anything stupid.

River pretended to ponder the thought for a minute but then chuckled, retrieving her feet from his grasp and placed them closer to her body. "Nan, I like it too much." She said, a smirk making its way on her face.

"Stop it."

"I’m not doing anything." She replied as she tucked her feet under his thigh. The Doctor glanced at her with a raised eyebrow, not fully agreeing with her. He received a grin from her part and sighed. Diverting his gaze to the TV, he saw her at the corner of his eye biting her lower lip.

Without looking at her, he spoke up. "Stop it."

River’s soft grin transformed into a smug one. "Or what?" She asked on a sweet tone.

The Doctor cast a glance at her and raised his eyebrows but said nothing. He knew what she was trying to do but he wasn’t going to fall into her little game, her little trap. No flirting in the living room, that’s what Amy said some time ago when they enunciated the rules of the Pond house. And he wasn’t fond of enraging a Scottish Pond. After some time, he returned to watching the TV, not paying her any attention.

But not long after, he began to feel the soft touch of a naked toe running down his leg. He looked down to see River’s foot gently travelling up and down his thigh. Raising his head to see her already looking at him, he furrowed his brows at her in question. 

She travelled her foot in a caress, beginning from the knee and slowly rising higher and higher towards his sensitive point. When she reached her destination, the Doctor stopped her by grabbing her foot. "I know what you’re doing but not in here." 

River frowned, "Why not?"

"This is your parents’ house!" He half-shouted, mindful of the two other occupant sleeping above them. "This is your parents’ living room and your parents’ couch, and Amy said not flirting in the living room. It’s already a good thing that they allow us to sleep in the same room and not make a fuss about it."

River sighed and removed her foot from his grasp. "Well, it’s a good thing because I’m an adult and this is _my_ bedroom and this is _my_ boyfriend." She muttered under her breath.

The Doctor leaned on the side to stroke her leg but she pulled them to her. Then, she abruptly stood up and took their mugs in each hand. The Doctor watched her with a pained look as she made her way out of the room, the light coming from the kitchen indicating where she went.

He was afraid he had upset her. River this young was easily irritated but he seldom found himself to be the one on the receiving end of an angry River. Sighing, the Doctor continued to watch the movie absent-mindedly.

River returned to the room a moment later and plopped down on the couch next to him, not saying a word. The Doctor glanced her way, the pained look still on his face. He didn’t know if he should apologise for making her angry or if he should just let it go.

Stretching his arms on the back of the couch, he drew River closer to him. Surprisingly, she placed her head on his shoulder and the Doctor supposed that she wasn’t that angry with him in the end.

He placed a gently kiss on the crown of her hair and she sighed. All of a sudden, River left the embrace of his arms and plopped down unceremoniously on his lap. She was now laying astride on his lap and the Doctor could do nothing but gape at her. "What are you doing?"

River took his face in her hand and stroked his cheeks with her thumbs. "Screw those rules, it’s my house too." She bent down to kiss his eyelids and the Doctor closed his eyes at the action, a soft smile tugging at his lips. "And you know what?"

He shook his head slowly before opening his eyes. The sight of River smiling softly made his hearts miss a beat. 

She lowered her mouth to his ear, deliberately slowly, and kissed the spot just under it. Then, she nibbled gently at his earlobe and the Doctor tilted his head slowly on the side to give her a better access. River stopped her ministration and whispered, "My parents are asleep."

River drew back and saw the Doctor looking back at her with his eyes rapidly clouding with lust. He took her face in his hand, the other clutching tightly at her waist, and drew her mouth to his. She opened her mouth under his and their scent mingled as they explored each other at a leisurely pace. The Doctor’s hand tightened on her waist before sliding down to pull her towards him even more. The motion awakened something inside of her and she set her hips to his, making them both gasp as a wet patch on her pyjama met the growing hard length of him hidden under his trousers.

River moaned in the crook of his neck and the Doctor took the opportunity to kiss his way down her neck, one of his hand travelled up to squeeze her breast through the fabric of her shirt. She straightened and in one swift movement she removed her shirt, revealing round perky nipples. Throwing the shirt on the side, she returned to kissing him fervently and he cupped one breast in his hand, rolling the hard nipple between his finger. A moan escaped her mouth and she dropped her hand to undo his bowtie and unbutton his shirt, revealing smooth skin under it. The Doctor shuddered at the sensation of her cold hand on his bare skin and tugged her closer.

After finishing unbuttoning his shirt, River’s hand rose to his neck and she began to kiss her way to it, leaving his mouth to kiss his jaw and travelling down until she found the soft flesh of his neck. She pressed sweet kisses and descended lower to nibble at his clavicle. The Doctor pressed his hips to hers and took her face in his hands to share a kiss. They locked eyes and River put her arms around his neck, her hands travelling through his hair. A small smile tugged at his lips and he saw River biting at her bottom lip. Capturing her lips in a fervent kiss, a moan escaped him at he felt River rolling her hips to his. 

They continued to kiss and River lowered her hand once more to play with the fine hairs below his navel. The action made the Doctor twitch and he placed a hand on the small of her back, dropping it under her pyjama to squeeze her bottom. River took his lower lip between her teeth and slowly nibbled at it, sending a wave of sensations through the Doctor’s body. His aching length was crying for a release as River made a point of rolling her hips on top of it for more friction.

_Knock knock knock._

River and the Doctor paid no attention to the sound exterior to their little bubble, continuing to snog and touch each other with furious needs.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

"Oi!" 

The two broke the kiss, startled. They turned their head at the same time to the source of the noise to see Amy leaning on the threshold of the door, her arms crossed over her chest and her brows furrowed in irritation. After realising what was happening, the Doctor squealed and pushed River off of him. The latter fell unceremoniously on the couch next to him, a crossed look beginning to make its way on her face. The Doctor squealed once again, remembering his little problem now in full view, and caught the nearest cushion to place it on his lap.

"This is not what you think it is." He cried out, trying to make things better. The worst thing would be an angry Amy in the wee hours of the morning and he wasn’t ready for this. Receiving a raised eyebrow from Amy, he turned to River to see a mirrored expression on her face.

She shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. "You know this never works when you say that, do you?" Leaning back, she glanced at her mother. "It is what you think it is."

The Doctor turned to River with a bemused expression. "Why are you making things worse?" He whispered, hoping that Amy wouldn’t hear their little conversation. "Your mother is going to be angry at us now."

"Sweetie, do you think she doesn’t know what we were doing? You had your hand down my pants, for God’s sake." The Doctor’s eyes widened and he cast a glance at Amy behind him, shaking his head fervently. The woman frown deepened and a smirk made its way on her face. "She’s not stupid."

"No, she’s not." Amy replied, making two sets of eyes turn to her. "Care to explain, Doctor." She shot a glare at the Doctor. The latter blushed and placed his hands on his lap, securing the cushion placed there. Dropping his gaze to his hands, he stuttered some words, not making any sense. Amy sighed and diverted her gaze to her daughter. "Great. River?"

River shrugged. "We got a little carried away."

Amy frowned and glanced at the TV still broadcasting the movie. "So you got in the mood while watching the Lion King?" She asked, bemused, pointing to the TV. River glance at the TV and chuckled, she shrugged once again. Her mother sighed, rolling her eyes. "Could you at least put you shirt on?"

"Why?" River looked at her mother defiantly. "Is it making you uncomfortable?" She said with a smile tugging at her lips.

Amy let out a small chuckle. "No, I’m perfectly fine. But this one over there can’t formulate coherent sentences." She nodded towards the Doctor who was still blushing at his hands.

"Oh…" River said at last, searching through the living room for her discarded shirt. Once she found it, she put it on and came back to the couch where the Doctor was now able to look her in the face again. "Anyway, how comes you’re up?"

"I was just going down for a glass of water but then I found my daughter having a very sexual moment on _my_ couch." She looked at the two faulty people in front of her. "I gather it’s your fault again." Amy spoke up, directing her gaze to her daughter. The Doctor watched the interaction between the two without saying a word. 

River gaped at her mother. " _My_ fault? I don’t see how you could say-…wait, _again_?" She turned to the Doctor with a questioning glare and he only shook his head, not understanding either.

"Well, clearly you were on top of him." River huffed at the comment and crossed her arms over her chest. "And again because I hope you remember the time you thought me and your father were out and thought right to have a little moment on _my_ couch." River rolled her eyes at her mother. "That’s why we have rules now, for heaven’s sake."

"That’s what I said." The Doctor muttered under his breath and River shot him a glare, making him look down. 

"At least, the Doctor knows what is right and what is wrong in here." She gave a proud smile to the Doctor who responded the best he could with a small smile. "I wouldn’t say the same thing about you, young lady." Directing her glare to her daughter, Amy proved her point by waving her hand to the two of them. 

River set her jaw and suddenly stood up. The two other people in the room looked at her with a bemused expression. "Come on, sweetie." She said, offering her hand to the Doctor for him to stand up too.

"I haven’t finished with you." Amy interjected but was already making room for them to leave the living area. The Doctor looked between River’s hand and Amy’s face, not nothing what to do.

River sighed and took his arm, forcing him to stand up. Dropping the cushion from his lap to the floor, he frowned at his girlfriend. "River, what are you doing?" He uttered in a small voice.

She looked at her mother in defiance while she responded, "We’re going to the TARDIS where we can do the thing mum doesn’t want us to do in here."

The Doctor looked between the two as he was being pushed out of the room. He chuckled a nervous laugh, "It’s not true, she’s kidding." They were now in the hall and Amy still looked at them as if they were mad people, which they were not.

River paused and looked over her shoulder at her mother, "I’m not." And with that, she smile at her mother and pushed the Doctor forwards.

"River…" The voice of the Doctor could be heard before the door of the TARDIS closed in front of Amy’s face.

She sighed and shook her head. She would need to increase her authority level the next time this happened. In the living room, the TV was still on and the song Hakuna Matata could be heard. Amy pushed herself of the doorway and went to turn off the TV.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would very much like to hear your thoughts about this chapter, it would make me very happy!!


	6. You Just Met Me…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is happening right after they slept together for the first time. So, they haven't been together for long.

The softness of the pillow under her cheek caused a sigh from River as she settled further into it. Her eyes still closed, she analysed the environment around her. She could feel a warm body pressed against her back, the hand around her waist seemed to belong to this body that encircled her. Normally, she would feel confined in this tight embrace because she had been trained to react and fight to any sort of danger which this position provided. And, even now, she felt a bit alert. But she knew who was behind her back and she knew there was nothing to be scared of.

Sighing once more, River focused her attention on the warmth pressed to her back. If she concentrated enough she could feel the soft double beating of his hearts imitating the own beating of her hearts. The sheets loosely thrown over them protected their naked body from the cold air of the bedroom. Not that it was cold outside of their bed, because it was the TARDIS and it was never cold in there, but River preferred the natural body heat of the sleeping form behind her.

A content smile appeared on her face at the memory of yesterday’s night. What a night that was. Full of discoveries and a far lot of comical moments too. A small chuckle escaped her mouth at the recollection. She pressed her head to the pillow and smelt the unique scent of him all around her. Opening her eyes slowly, River was immediately aware of the faint orange glow coming from the gap between the door and the floor which created a small ray of light in the room, helping her see the shapes of the furnitures.

River closed her eyes again, enjoying the moment. She felt the soft weight of the hand loosely circling her waist in a possessive gesture. The man behind her was undoubtedly asleep given that he hasn’t moved a bit since the moment she woke up. She dropped her hand to place it over his and was surprised by the shudder that ran through her. Squirming closer to the heated body behind her, River felt his hearts suddenly beating quicker. A small smile began to grace her lips as she caressed his knuckles leisurely. Maybe not asleep, then.

She wrung their hand together over her stomach and felt him nuzzle his face into her hair. With her hand in his own, he sprawled it over her stomach and began to draw lazy circles, making her squirm a bit under his ministration. "‘Morning." He whispered in a voice hoarse from sleep.

River hummed, still caressing his hand in her own. Then, he stopped his ministration and drew her closer to his body by the waist. Her eyes popped open in surprise at the sudden feel of his body touching her own from head to toe. Even if she doubted that he was fully awake, there was a part of him that was definitely awake. She felt her hearts beginning to beat faster inside her ribcage and was suddenly feeling very aware of her surroundings. He nuzzled further into her neck and she tilted it on the side for him to have a better access. The movement provoked a smile to form on his lips as they touched the soft flesh of her neck to place a kiss. He drew her hips even closer to him, eliciting a small sigh to come from between her lips.

"Feeling very confident this morning, Doctor." River remarked, hiding a smile into her pillow. The Doctor stopped his action, drawing away from her a bit.

"Sorry, I…-" He said, trailing off while he removed his hand from her waist. 

The Doctor’s confidence gone, River bit her lip and took his hand in her own once more to stop him from backing away further. She placed it back on her waist, "Don’t…" She resumed stroking his fingers and phalanges as he settled back into her, nuzzling her neck once more.

Letting go of his hand and placing her own next to it, River closed her eyes and settled further into her pillow. The warmth of the Doctor behind her felt very welcomed as she relaxed into his arms. After a minute or two, she felt the Doctor’s hand beginning to play again with the soft flesh of her stomach, his thumb caressing the hairs near her belly button. Then, she felt his finger slowly creeping up, stopping on every rib as if to count them and finally stopping at her underboob. River took a small intake of breath as he stroked the flesh under her breast with his thumb. Climbing higher, the Doctor encircled her nipple with his index finger, without making contact with it. This elicited a moan from River in frustration. A grin appeared on his face at River’s response and he lowered his hand, leaving her breast cold and alone. He replaced his hand on her stomach, not intending to do anything else.

River bit her lower lip and decided to take the matter into her own hands. She took the Doctor’s hand in her own, since it was resting on her stomach, and drew it to a lower point on her body. The Doctor sighed into her neck, making her shudder as she guided his hand between her legs. He let his hand be guided through soft curly hairs and to the apex of her sex. River let go of his hand to grip his arm, he got the message. The contrast between the cold hand of the Doctor and her hot flesh made her shudder a moan as she gripped his arm even more. The Doctor parted her lips and felt her already wet and ready for him. A moan escaped his lips at the feeling of her already randy for him. He circled her entrance several time, teasing her and making her roll her hips towards his growing erection for more friction. Finally, he pushed a finger inside of her and began pumping in and out at a slow pace. River moaned, her mouth forming the ‘o’ shape as she set her hips to him, begging for more. Pushing another finger inside of her, he quickened his pace, pulling in and out of her more fervently. His fingers began to ache and he saw River clinging to the bedsheets for something to hold onto as he fucked her with his fingers.

River groaned as he removed his fingers from inside her. He pulled her into a lying position and creeped over her form. She opened her legs for him to settle between them and he leaned down to place his arms on either side of her head, supporting his weight over her. River ran her hand through his hair and down his neck and torso, tracing the muscles on his chest and stomach. The Doctor was looking at her with stars in his eyes and when she raised her eyes to him he saw the same expression reflecting through her eyes. He bent down to catch her lips in his own and River melted at the feeling of his mouth on hers. Their tongue mingled in their open mouthed kiss and things were getting heated quickly. River lifted her hips to make contact with him and the Doctor whined above her, breaking the kiss. He placed his forehead above her, a question in his eyes. River nodded at his silent question and put her arms around his waist.

The Doctor lifted his upper body up to search for a condom in his nightstand. Once he found it, he resettled between River’s legs. Tearing up the package, he rolled the condom on his hard length and leaned over River once again. She pulled him to her for a kiss and took him in hand to guide him towards her entrance. Breaking the kiss, the Doctor watched her to see if she was sure and River nodded once more. Slowly, he sank into her inch by inch and she whimpered in pleasure, placing her legs around his hips. 

The Doctor began at a slow pace, moved in and out, each time getting deeper inside of her. River drew his head to her to share a heated kiss. They parted every time the Doctor thrusted into her, eliciting a deep moan from both of them. River pulled the Doctor’s hips closer to her with her legs, urging him to move quicker. He did as told and began to move at a quicker pace, his cheek rubbing against her eyelid. River met his thrust with her own and together they made him go deeper inside her. The friction made the Doctor grunt as he dropped his head in the crook of her neck, his breath was becoming more shallow. He knew he was close and he had to take River with him. 

He lowered his hand and took one of her breast in his hand, rolling the nipple under his finger. River rolled her eyes into their orbit at the pleasure it elicited, moaning louder and louder. Still pumping into her, the Doctor lowered his head to take the breast in his mouth. He licked the round flesh and nibbled at the hard nipple. This set a fire into River’s body and she felt herself coming hard as a wave of pleasure ran through her. The Doctor felt her walls tighten up around him and heard a cry of pleasure coming from her mouth. Her moans as she climaxed were music to his ears and he felt himself drifting away, his thrust becoming irregular. After two more thrust, he spilled his juice inside of her and fell, totally spent, on her chest.

River was just coming down from her high when she passed her hand through his hair, caressing his scalp as he breathed heavily into her neck. She stroked the hair at the nape of his neck as he moved off of her and to her side on the bed. He disposed the condom in a nearby bin and cuddled into her. River settled into the crook of his neck and he passed his hand through her curls. She took a deep breath to inhale the scent clinging to his body, a mix of sweat and something that was indescribably him. The exact scent wasn’t defined yet but she knew that with time she would be able to uncover every inch of him.

River moved away from his neck and placed her head on her own pillow to be at eye level with him. He opened his eyes at her movement and looked at her, unveiling every inch of her face with his eyes. Her blue eyes looked back at him with the veil of sleep still in them. Her face bare of makeup showed the soft freckles covering her nose where her small bump rested. River didn’t need to put makeup on to appear beautiful, the Doctor found her as beautiful as always when she had just woke up and her hair were in disarray.

She placed her hand between the pillow and her cheek and watched him as he was thoroughly examining every inch of her face. "What is it ?" She asked curiously.

A small smile appeared at the corner of his lips and he brought his hand to her face, brushing away a small lock of hair that had fallen over her eye. "I like watching you sleep." He said, placing the lock behind her ear. Tracing the line of her jaw with his index finger, he then bopped her nose.

River wrinkled her brows together, on the one hand because of the gesture and on the other hand because she didn’t understand his statement. The Doctor smiled even more at her puzzled look and that’s when River finally understood his meaning. "I thought you were still asleep but in the end you were watching me the whole time."

The Doctor shrugged into his pillow, "What can I say ? I’m a light sleeper, and I quite enjoy watching you sleep." River raised her eyebrow but said nothing. "Anyway, I don’t sleep much because, you know, Time Lord metabolism."

She nodded, watching his face features. She brought her hand to his face to trace the line of his cheekbones, stopping a moment where she knew his dimple was when he smiled. Continuing her path slowly, she traced the outlines of his lips and he kissed her index softly. He closed his eyes when she began to trace a line from the base of his nose to its tip. 

The Doctor was a canvas yet to be learned for River and with time she would learn more and more about him, learn every detail of his skin and every mimic of his face. But one thing was for sure, she would never feel less in love than she was right now. On the contrary, her love would grow bigger and bigger every minute she would pass with him, by her side.


	7. …But I've Known You All My Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is the second part of the one before. This is set at the very end of River's time at Luna and, well, you'll see...

River clutched the duvet tighter around her frame to seek some more warmth. She pressed her face into the pillow as a sigh escaped her. The scent of the Doctor’s cologne was still attached to her pillow and she took a deep breath, smelling the last trace of him. She smiled into it, well, this wasn’t really the last trace of the Doctor since he was currently snoring next to her. 

That explained why she had felt so crowded last night with so little of a place to sleep. The Doctor rather liked to take all the place possible on the bed, she sometimes found him on the mornings in a starfish position, taking all the covers and with not a care in the world.

Well, at least he seemed to enjoy his little sleep time, this was a far cry from the beginning of their relationship where he rarely slept. Nowadays, he rarely didn’t sleep at night and River learned that when he was really tired, he could be a really deep sleeper. And a light snorer too. Maybe, after all, being a Time Lord and running around all day was tiring for the Doctor.

River learned over the years that the major factor for the Doctor to feel at ease to sleep was trust. In the beginning of their relationship, the Doctor was a bit reluctant to sleep with her at his side. It’s not that he didn’t trust her, but it was more that he didn’t trust himself. It is when one’s asleep that one’s discover their true self. And at night, the Doctor’s deepest demons were his nightmares. He rarely had them anymore but River had seen a part of him that he didn’t want anyone to know about, the Doctor who was scared, scared of his past and scared of his future.

But everyone had their demons inside, River knew that more than anyone else. In accepting his inner demons, the Doctor offered a hand to River’s ones. They learned together how to comfort each other when the nightmares arrived at night. And together, they unveiled a hidden part of themselves. In trust, they succeeded to overcome their demons and it made them stronger and even closer to each other.

River stifled a yawn and opened her eyes. As consciousness replaced her sleepy haze, she blinked to adjust her vision to the dimmed light surrounding the room. As always, the TARDIS had a mind of her own and decided when it was time for the two Time Lords to wake up. The Doctor once told River that it was her who decided when it was time to wake up. Well, the TARDIS seemed bloody pleased to wake them up herself as she wished.

Receiving a faint hum from the TARDIS, River scowled. _Would you stop intruding my thoughts. Or else I’ll think very hard of what I like to do to your thief._ The lights in the corridor blinked twice in a plea not to do that and River smiled into her pillow. _That’s what I thought_. 

Focusing her gaze on the Doctor’s face, a smirk appeared at the corner of her lips. He was currently laying down on his stomach, his face turned to her side and his hand clutching at the hem of his pillow case, the other carelessly thrown under it, between the mattress and the pillow. His hair was sticking in every direction, having finally taken the control over its master. His non-existent eyebrows were set in a frown, he probably was still dreaming, and his lips jutted out in a pout. He looked adorable while sleeping. 

His chest rose at each breath he took and he snored every now and then. River watched him sleep peacefully and couldn’t help herself but to bring her hand to his face and brush his hair out of his eyes. She dropped her index finger to the bridge of his nose and ran her finger delicately over the length of his broad nose. He wrinkled his brows in his sleep and River stopped her movement, after he settled down she resumed her caress and began to brush his brows with her thumb.

The Doctor frowned in his sleep and brought his hand to his face to see what was tickling him. River removed her hand and watched him pat his face to find what was disturbing him. After a moment, he groaned and rubbed his face into his pillow, beginning to wake up. Huffing, he turned his head to the other side, intending to finish his night.

River snorted and brought her hand to his head, stroking his tousled hair. "Someone’s grumpy today." She murmured and the Doctor made a noncommittal noise into his pillow. 

Some days the Doctor could be full of energy the moment his eyes opened and some days he could be very grumpy and not a morning person at all. This day was one of those days. 

She edged closer and placed a kiss on his shoulder blade, between his bare skin and his worn t-shirt. Nuzzling his neck with her nose, she whispered, "You can’t be grumpy today."

A small smile began to play at the corner of the Doctor’s lips and he opened his eyes and rubbed them to get the sleep out of it. He turned on the spot to be face to face with River, the latter wore a smile on her face since the moment she woke up and it wasn’t going to dim through the day. The Doctor placed his arm around her waist and pulled her closer, dropping a kiss on the crown of her head. "I’m not grumpy." He replied, tracing a path with his index finger from the top of her forehead to the tip of her nose, bopping it at the end. "Are you eager?"

"Of course, I’m eager!" She exclaimed, a bright spark illuminating her light blue eyes. "I’ve been at it for three years. It’s about time I graduate!" The Doctor only watched her and said nothing, seeing his girlfriend so overjoyed made him proud of her. She was the most magnificent human being, she was always the cheerful one and was always there to spice up his life. "Mom and Dad are waiting for us, the letter’s supposed to arrive at their house." She gasped and frowned afterwards, "What if it says I didn’t pass, what if I buggered it all up?"

"No, no. Stop it." The Doctor took her face in his hands, forcing her to meet his eyes. "Everything’s going to be alright, you’re the most intelligent person I know. Of course, you’re going to pass. With honours." He stroked her cheek and River smiled, still a bit anxious. 

"You think so?"

"I know so, honey." He drew closed a placed a chaste kiss at the corner of her mouth. Drawing back, the Doctor touched her forehead with his and they stayed in this position for a moment. River brought her hand to his face and played with the hair at his temple. Closing his eyes, the Doctor nuzzled her nose with his. 

A little more than three years ago, he had decided to go against their future, against what they were supposed to become. And now, thinking about it, he would do it again and again and again. It has been so much worth it, during those three years he had learnt so many things, things about his Ponds, his family and even more, things about himself. He discovered the love of his life, and now he had a family and he was proud to say so. He had a family. He was the happiest he has ever been and this wasn’t going to slow down anytime soon.

But there was one thing he couldn’t avoid. Time. Time always catch up on you. He knew that when he decided to stay linear with River there were times that he wouldn’t be able to avoid. Times he had already lived and would always be forced to live. Because time couldn’t be rewritten. Time could be altered but it couldn’t be, in any way, rewritten. And he knew this time was close for River, he had been thinking about it for quite some time. The day she killed him, he knew the date and he knew that River would graduate because he has already lived this part of the story. But he would find a way, he always did.

But what it would do to her... They’ve been together for nearly three years now and he knew his River. The bare thought of seeing her in pain made him want to cry. How would she forgive him after that? Her life was her own, and Kovarian would shatter everything they had been building for those past three years. 

But he would make it better. He had to. This was his duty, as the Doctor. As River’s boyfriend, even more because he was hers.

He took a deep breath and rubbed his nose against her own. Then, River patted his arm and drew away, "Come on, we’re going to be late to my parents house." She said and began to stood up. The Doctor registered what was happening a little late and grabbed her arm. River looked at him with a frown and he sat up on the bed. "What is it?"

"I’d like to tell you something first." He said, tugging at her arm for her to sit next to him. Still with a frown adorning her face, River came to sit up cross legged on the bed and waited for him to say something. Sighing, the Doctor met her eyes and took her face in his hand. "I just...I wanted to tell you that I’m very proud of you. I’m extremely proud of the woman I have in front of me." A small smile appeared on his face as he dropped his gaze to his wrung hands. River looked at him with big eyes, observing every inch of his face. "And I wanted to tell you, from the bottom of my hearts, that I love you so much." Raising his eyes to met hers, he saw them glistening with unshed tears. "And you’ve made me the happiest man, you’ve been able to expose the best part of me. And I think…I think you are the best thing that has ever happened to me."

River blinked the tears that were threatening to fall and took the Doctor’s face in both hands. She stroked his cheeks as he watched her attentively for a response. "You’re my guiding light in the ocean at night." A teary smile made its way on her face as she beamed, "I love you, with all my hearts." 

The Doctor nodded, his eyes reflecting the tears that could be found in River’s eyes. Suddenly, she closed the distance between them and her lips met his. They weren’t two anymore but, sealing their powerful hearts to hearts, they became one. The kiss was intoxicating and it soon mingled with wet cheeks and heavy hearts. River lowered the Doctor on the bed and, straddling him, they poured their love for each other in this kiss that meant so much.

After a moment, they broke the kiss to regain their breath and River placed her face in the crook of his neck, inhaling the scent that was so inescapably him, the smell of space and time mingled with the faint scent of his usual tweed that always clung to his bones. And underneath all of that was the Doctor, a simple scent that screamed home to her. And home that was.

The Doctor rubbed her back softly through the fabric of her camisole and registered that she had began to tremble in his arms. He realised that she was actually crying. "What’s wrong?" He asked worried as he drew her away from her hiding position to see her better.

She shook her head but there was a smile covering her face. "It’s nothing. It’s just, you know…" She sighed and waved her hand in the air before placing it on his chest, "You know when you think about all the things that makes you happy and it makes you want to cry because… Because you have the sensation of finally being it the right place with the one you love. And it crushes your hearts because this sensation is so wonderful, so overpowering in a good way." 

The Doctor smiled and brushed the tear tracks on her cheeks, "Yes. It’s what we call happy tears." He placed a lock of hair behind her ear. "And that’s the most beautiful thing to ever witness."

A new wave of tears made their way to River’s cheeks and she pulled the Doctor closer, her face returning to the crook of his neck. She whispered faintly, "I love you." 

This was barely audible but the Doctor heard it nonetheless and he dropped a kiss to her shoulder, "I love you, too." He continued to rub her back and after a moment River calmed down and stopped shaking from the tears. "Keep your happy tears for later, I think you’re going to need them today." He said in a whisper once again.

River retreated from her position and looked into the Doctor’s eyes. He smiled at her and she smiled back, she bent down to kiss his mouth and they shared small kisses for a while. 

When River drew back there weren’t any trace left of tears, this had been replaced with a grin, "Well, I’m going to take a shower." The Doctor nodded and when she went off of him, he watched her stood up and make her way the the en-suite bathroom from his lying position on the bed. When she arrived at the door, she stopped and turned around a second after. "Well, you’re coming?"

The Doctor grinned and threw the covers at the foot of the bed. He made his way to River and pulled her flush to him, kissing his way to her mouth. They continued to kiss after they opened the door to the bathroom behind them. And when the Doctor closed the door with his feet, he was still kissing River.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love comments because they help me improve!


	8. Being Normal Turns Me On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story takes place early in their relationship.

River closed the door behind her and leisurely walked in the direction of the console room. 

The TARDIS was quietly humming beneath her feet and she could feel the presence of her second mother inside her mind. It was a relaxing hum, something nearly imperceptible for a normal human being but River could feel it constantly when she was aboard. Maybe it was because she had a connexion with it or maybe it was just because she was part Time Lord. But then, maybe it was both.

Nothing indicated that it was morning on the TARDIS but she decided nonetheless that it was. The Doctor had once told her that you couldn’t know whether it was day or night on the TARDIS unless you checked outside. But even then, there was a great chance that you’d find yourself floating in space and with no indication of when or where you were. So, you had to decide by yourself when you thought it was morning and when it was not. 

So, it was morning.

River padded down the corridors still in her pyjama. Her bare feet made a small noise as they met the hard metal floor and she thought about going back to her room to find warm slippers. As if on cue, the air around her warmed up and she thanked the TARDIS in her mind, knowing she would hear it.

Even if she had decided that it was morning, River hasn’t decided that it was the time to wake up. She would have gladly stayed in bed for at least one hour more but when she woke up she found the other side of the bed empty. She knew the Doctor slept less than her and thus didn’t need to stay in bed as long but today was Sunday, at least that’s what she decided, and Sundays were for sleeping in. There, it was a rule now : Sundays morning were to be spent in bed. Well, she would need to brief the Doctor about that beforehand, she thought.

Anyway, the point was that she woke up and the Doctor wasn’t there. They haven’t been together for long and the two of them sleeping in the same bed, and not doing anything else, was something quite rare. Most of the times, he came to Luna at night and spent some time with her. But he was always forced to go back to his ship at some point. And when she was staying at her parents’ house they couldn’t sleep together because her parents weren’t aware of their relationship. So, the two of them sleeping together was something infrequent.

But River absolutely loved to sleep next to the Doctor. She always snuggled into his arms to seek a bit of warmth at night and he always made content noises which she found adorable. The funniest thing was that he wasn’t even aware of it since at those times he was asleep, but she wouldn’t tell him. It was too cute to be stopped.

Plus, she needed him at night. He was always there to confort her when she had a bad dream. Even more, he chased her nightmares away and she felt safe in his arms. Safer than she’s ever been before.

River rounded a corner and approached the console room. She called the Doctor’s name but the only answer she received was the humming of the TARDIS under her feet.

"Doctor?" She repeated, arriving in the console room. She scanned the room with her eyes but found it empty of the Doctor. "Where are you?"

"Right here!" His voice could be heard but River frowned since their wasn’t anyone on the console room.

She made her way to the console, looked beneath her feet in hope to find him under the console, fiddling with some wires, but he wasn’t there. Her frown deepened. "Where?" She rounded the console in search of him.

"Here!" A clatter made her spring around and look in the direction of the noise. She startled, surprised, at the sight of the Doctor lying on his back, the upper part of his body hidden under the console as he seemed to be fixing something underneath it.

River approached him and kneeled by his side, putting her hand on his thigh for support. "What are you doing here? I missed you in bed." 

"Sorry," His voice was muffled by the tinkering of his tools on the console. "I was intending to go back but since you’re up-"

"No! I’m not up, look I’m all…non-up." She said, standing up and beginning to make her way out of the console room. "I’m going back, come with me."

The Doctor chuckled behind her and she heard him get on his feet. Turning around, she was left agape by his figure. Having seen her change of expression, the Doctor stopped chuckling and frowned at her. "What is it?" He set his lips in a thin line as he watched River proceeding whatever she was seeing in front of her.

River furrowed her brows before speaking, "What are you wearing?"

The Doctor’s frown deepened and he glanced down to look at what he was wearing. A thin grey t-shirt was covering the upper part of his body and he wore one of his most casual trousers. Also, he was currently in his socks, his bright yellow socks. "Is it the socks? I know you said they were blinding material but I like them, they’re warm." This wasn’t out of the usual, he always wore those socks. But then, why was River looking at him so strangely?

River shook her head, "No, no it’s not the socks but…" She wetted her lips. "Are you wearing a t-shirt?" She asked him, out of the blue.

The Doctor frowned at her. "Yeah…" He answered confused, smoothing down his hands over his t-shirt. He went to fiddle with the control panel. "I'd rather put on a t-shirt when I don’t feel like wearing the whole suit. I don’t wear the tweed when I’m alone." He continued, diverting his gaze from River on the other side of the console room. A smile appeared on his face and he cast a glance at her, pointing a finger at her. "Plus, it’s Sunday!"

River approached him with a puzzled look. "But you’re not alone." She stood in front of him and the Doctor dropped his gaze to be at her eye level. "I’m here."

The Doctor smiled softly and cupped her face in his hand. "Well, yeah, it seems so." He said while shrugging, a grin playing at the corner of his mouth. He stroked her cheek with his thumb before pulling her to him for a small kiss. "'Morning." He whispered at last.

River hummed after pulling away from the kiss. She placed her arms around his neck and played with the hair at the base of it. She always loved when his hair were in disarray from sleep. The Doctor smiled at her and his hands crept up her waist, encircling her into his arms. Leaning on her tiptoe, River placed a chaste kiss at the corner of his mouth.

Enjoying the moment, she placed her head on his chest and listened to the beating of his hearts through his t-shirt. It was weird not to feel the usual thickness of his bowtie on her cheek and smell his scent on his bare neck. The Doctor tightened his grip on her and hummed in contentement in her hair. River wasn’t used of this much attention from the Doctor, it’s not that he wasn’t the type to cuddle but doing it so early in the morning meant nothing good.

River startled and pulled away from his chest. "Did you forget I was here?" It was a possibility, the Doctor was always forgetful and could have very well forgotten about his girlfriend sleeping in his bedroom. Even if it was a bit hurtful.

The Doctor’s eyes went wide and he shook his head fervently. "No! I told you I just went in here to do some fixing because then something was going to go wrong. I was intending to go back." He left her arms and rounded the console, pretending to tingle with some of the commands. He sighed, "I didn’t forget you were here." He lifted his head to see her already looking at him with a raised eyebrow. He dropped his head as well as his voice, "On the contrary, I didn’t dress as usual because I know you were here. You, only."

River rounded the console with a frown. "What do you mean?" She came next to him and placed her hand on his shoulder.

He sighed once again and turned to be face to face. "Listen, I can’t be the Doctor every day, some days I just want to be a normal bloke." He said while shrugging. River’s brows furrowed. What did he mean by that? That he was playing a part while he was the Doctor? That he wasn’t his true self? Seeing the puzzled look on her face, the Doctor continued. "No, no. I am the Doctor. But you have to understand that in the outside world I have to maintain a facade, just be the Doctor, the saver of worlds, the healer, the leader. But in here," He waved around them to show the TARDIS. "In here, I’m just…me." A soft smile graced his lips as he looked into River’s bright blue eyes, "And I don’t wear my tweed on Sundays." He said, bopping her nose.

River wrinkled her nose at the gesture. The Doctor wasn’t someone else when he was on his own, he was still the Doctor she knew. But in the hearth of his ship he was just himself, not afraid to be judged by his actions and with no world to save. He wasn’t The Doctor, just _her_ Doctor. And, River understood that it was a part of him only to himself. "So, when you’re alone on your TARDIS, you don’t need to have this facade." The Doctor nodded in agreement and placed a hand on her shoulder. River dropped her gaze to the floor. "Because it’s just you and your ship."

"And you…" River’s head shot up. She searched the Doctor’s eyes and she found him already looking at her intensely, a smile at the corner of his mouth.

A small smile began to grace her lips. This was as close as she would get to a declaration of love from the Doctor. And it meant so much to her, this wasn’t some silly words spoken out just because you wanted to. It was the Doctor, letting his barriers down, letting her in. It was an act of trust from his part, the man always travelling alone, the last of his kind. Not anymore. Now she was with him and he was with her. Together, in love and trust. With nothing between them.

River placed her hand on his cheek and he leaned into it. She leaned over to kiss his cheek and he closed his eyes. They understood each other.

After a moment, she cleared her throat. Pulling back she stroked his eyelid which produced a soft smile from his part. "Well, I’ll let you fix your ship. I think I’ll go back to bed."

The Doctor nodded and let her go, but not before he kissed her on the cheek. River felt he Doctor’s eyes on her as she turned around and made her way to the corridor.

Walking down the corridors, River caught her lower lip between her teeth. All meaning apart, the Doctor looked quite dashing in a t-shirt and River hoped it wouldn’t be the last time she saw him this way. The image of his gangly-but-well-built figure was stuck in her head. The Doctor was always hiding behind his jacket and shirt and thus wasn’t showing off his great body. And River was quite satisfied of that, she was the only one able to see that in the privacy of their bedroom. It did something to her ego.

She wouldn’t admit it but seeing the Doctor in those clothes did something to her. Maybe it was the way his collarbone showed under the t-shirt of maybe it was the way his biceps were perfectly made to be shown. This man had the power to look good in everything he wore, whether it was a bright orange suit, his usual tweed or just his naked form.

With a smirk on her face, River rounded the corner and she saw the door of their bedroom awaiting her. She wondered if she could make to Doctor wear this sort of clothes more often, when they were alone on the TARDIS on a lazy day. It would always be a good thing to set the mood.

"River!" She turned around abruptly at the Doctor’s voice. He was walking rapidly through the corridor and in her direction. Raising a puzzled eyebrow, River wondered what he wanted to tell her. The Doctor said nothing and when he arrived at her side he simply cupped her face. River didn’t have the time to think that his scent enveloped her and his mouth was on her.

She made a startled noise inside his mouth but quickly regained her composure. Closing her eyes, River cupped his face to kiss him more thoroughly. Feeling the Doctor’s tongue running between her lips, she opened her mouth to grant him access. Their tongues mingled in their messy kiss, the atmosphere was quickly getting hotter around them. 

The Doctor suddenly backed her into a wall, knocking the breath out of her. She opened her eyes as he pulled away from the kiss. She felt his hands travel lower and beneath her pyjama top to cup a breast. River let out a moan as the Doctor attacked the flesh of her neck with kisses, she would probably have hickeys later. 

Weaving her hands through his hair, River drew the Doctor’s head to her level, detaching him from her neck. His lust-filled eyes met hers and he dropped his hands to her waist. A smile twitched at her lips, "What has gotten into you? Not that I’m complaining but that was a bit sudden."

The Doctor merely shrugged, "Nothing." He then shushed her by dropping his mouth to hers once again.

River smiled into his mouth and pulled him away by the shoulders. "What, you just felt like it?"

Nodding, the Doctor pressed his forehead to hers. "Yes, I just felt like it." Their eyes met and he smiled.

River smiled too and placed her arms around his neck. She caught his lips between her own and they continued to kiss. The Doctor lowered his hand to her thigh and placed it around his waist, pressing her further against the wall with his hips. River moaned at the feel of his erection through their clothes. He rubbed his hips against hers to have more friction and River broke the kiss, panting in the crook of his neck. 

The heat was quickly rising around them and River placed her hands on his chest, feeling the beating of his hearts through his t-shirt. Running her hands underneath his t-shirt, River felt the bumps of his abs under her fingers. Yes, the Doctor was definitely hiding a well-built body underneath his tweed and shirts. 

Taking the cue, the Doctor removed his hands from her body and removed his t-shirt in one swift motion, passing it over his head. He threw the t-shirt on the floor and River was left agape in front of him.

"God, I’ve always wanted to see you doing this." She whispered between ragged breath. She ran her hands over his bare chest and the Doctor smiled, returning to her body.

Securing her leg around his waist, the Doctor placed both his hands on her backside and lifted her of the ground. River let out a small squeak and placed her hands around his neck for support. The Doctor backed away from the wall, with River in his arms, and made his way to their bedroom door.

Successfully managing to walk them through the door without dropping River, the Doctor closed the door with his foot. A thump echoed as something quite heavy was pushed against the door. Small chuckles echoed before being muffled, surely by one of them pressed their mouth against the other.

The corridor felt silent, this silence sometimes broken by soft moans or chuckles. What was currently happening behind this closed door only belonged to the Doctor and River.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written some time ago but I never got the time to edit it. I don't really know how to feel about it, though.  
> Let me know what you think of this chapter :)


	9. I'll Dye for You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My title is a horrible pun. Just ignore it, okay?

River heard the brakes of the TARDIS before seeing it. The sheets littering her desk began to flutter in the air as a whisk of wind made its way into her bedroom. A sigh of frustration escaped her lips. Not again! Not inside her bedroom! 

She was seated at her desk in her dorm at Luna. Directing her eyes away from her laptop, she watched as the TARDIS materialised at the foot of her bed. This man could never stick to rules, could he? She said never inside her room, it made sheets fly everywhere and always made a big mess. And the Doctor was never the one to tidy up after the TARDIS was gone of course. No, this was River's work. Great.

As the TARDIS finished to materialise, River turned her eyes back to her laptop. She had a lot of paperwork due for tomorrow and the Doctor was coming at the worst time. Plus, she was already angry with him for landing here and making a mess. He wasn’t even here yet and she was already irritated by his presence. If he thought he would have anything tonight he was barking up the wrong tree.

When River heard the TARDIS’ door open, she didn’t look up from her work. "How many times have I told you not to land in my bedroom? You always make a mess."

"Ugh, sorry." There was a pause behind her and she wondered what the Doctor was actually doing. She heard the sound of the door closing behind him, then nothing. "It’s just...It was an emergency."

With a frown, River turned her face in his direction. She saw the Doctor looking at her with a sheepish look on his face. But most important, she saw that the Doctor was wearing a new hat on his head. This time it was a beanie. 

Rolling her eyes in exasperation, River stood up and walked the short distance separating them. She crossed her arms over her chest, "Okay, but first you have to tell me what the hell you’re wearing on your head."

The Doctor’s sheepish look deepened, he readjusted the beanie on his head but gave no explanation. This was a quite ugly beanie that’s to say, as if he found it a box of old stuff.

River sighed, "I hope you haven’t discovered a new fashion consisting of beanies because, frankly, it’s hideous. Come on, give…" She made a move to remove it from his head but the Doctor placed both his hands on it, securing it further.

"Hum, actually," He began and River raised an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation. "It’s kind of the problem, it’s the emergency."

She furrowed her brows, not really understanding what was the problem. The Doctor sighed and played with the hem of his beanie. River waited but the Doctor did nothing, she gave him a pointed look. At last, he removed the beanie very carefully and after doing it he watched River’s expression intently.

The latter pressed her lips together at the sight of the Doctor, suppressing a laugh. His whole mop of hair was dyed a vibrant pink. Not the pretty kind of pink hair but the kind that screamed horrendous. River observed his head for a moment not saying a word. She squinted her eyes in concentration, the Doctor didn’t know if she was genuinely intrigued or if it was just to suppress a laugh. The latter, he would understand. River stayed quiet and he waited for any kind of exclamation, surprise, disgust... anything?

"So…" He began. He saw River’s bottom lip quiver and the skin around her eyes crease. Oh, no…

River bursted out laughing and the Doctor grumbled under his breath how unfair it was. "Oh my God! What have you done?" She asked between wave of laughter. Forced to sit on her bed to stop the laughter and calm down, she wiped the tears that had slipped from her eyes. The Doctor groaned and came to sit beside her, passing a hand through his pink hair. A new wave of laughter rose and River lay down on the bed.

"River, you have to help me." The Doctor said in a plea once the laughter died down a bit. "You have to remove this... thing from my hair."

River sat up and wiped the tears from her eyes, she took the Doctor’s face in her hands and examined his hair. Feeling obliged to wait and follow her instruction, the Doctor let his hair being inspected meticulously. "How the hell did that happened, sweetie?" 

Sighing the Doctor had the decency to blush. "I was just on this planet, preventing an invasion as usual." He waved his hands in the air and River watched him carefully, a smile still adorning her face. "But the thing is that to enter this planet you have to dye your hair pink, it’s like custom or something. So, I saved a planet but now my hair is _pink_." He emphasised his words by pointing at his hair and tugging at locks. "Speak of a reward…"

"And," River began, not really knowing how to take the information. "Were my parents with you?" The idea of her parents witnessing the Doctor in this state made her want to laugh.

"No, hopefully no! I was alone but now my hair is bloody _pink_!" He tugged at his hair and looked at River with a pleading face. "Help me…"

A smile grew on River’s face, "Okay I’ll help you." The Doctor’s face lightened. Of course she would help him, but an opportunity like that was not to be missed… "But," His face fell. "First, I have to take a picture of you like that."

His eyes went wide and he covered his hair with his hands. "No, River, absolutely not! I forbid you to do that! It’s like…no!"

"If you don’t let me take a picture I won’t help you then." A wicked smile appeared on her face and the Doctor set his jaw in a pout. She was bloody blackmailing him but he had to other options than her to help him. This was a bloody blackmail and he didn’t like it, and River knew that because she knew she was the only person willing to help him.

Pondering the thought for a moment, the Doctor groaned, "Okay…" River’s smile grew and she stood up to take her phone. "You bloody minx…" He uttered through clenched teeth. River winked in his direction and he stuck his tongue.

—

"Stop moving." River warned him as he fidgeted in his seat. They were in the bathroom and River was currently trying to dye his hair back to his normal colour. She said trying because the Doctor was being a real baby, always fidgeting and whining about something. She had made him sit a stool in front of the mirror while she dyed his hair. At this moment, the Doctor looked completely ridiculous with his hair full of dying stuff and a towel around his shoulders. A shame she had her hands full of dye and her phone was in her bedroom, this would have made a perfect photo.

"It’s cold." He whined under her hands. River sighed but said nothing, throwing a look at him through the mirror. The Doctor could be ever so childish sometimes.

At this instant, the door of the dorm opened and Shari, River’s roommate, entered the flat. The door of the bathroom was wide open and when Shari passed before it she came back in her steps to look at the two people in the room. Squinting her eyes, she observed the scenery before her. "I don’t even want to know."

River smiled and glanced down at the Doctor, his eyes switching between her and Shari. "Oh, yes, you want to know."

"River!" The Doctor whined as he locked eyes with her.

Shari looked between the two of them, her brows furrowed in contemplation. She leaned on the frame of the door, crossing her arms over her chest. "Yes, actually I want to know. That’s quite puzzling." She eyed to Doctor with a smile and the latter sighed, dropping his eyes to his lap.

"Well, you see. That man right here," She began, pointing to him with dyed fingers. "Decided to explore a planet. But the thing is that to enter this planet you have to dye your hair pink." She laughed a bit and Shari grinned between the two. "He came to me, his hair a vibrant pink, and begging for help."

Shari chuckled, "I know this planet. Lots of people go there to dye their hair pink for free. I had a girlfriend who did this once." She frowned to herself. "Actually, two girlfriends of mine did. It was a trend." She said with a grimace. Looking up at the Doctor, she grinned. "I never thought you’d be the kind of guy to do this, Doc."

"I’m not! River told you everything all wrong. I went there because there was an invasion and I needed to help the people of this planet. That’s my job!" The Doctor whined, his face flushed. The state he was in did nothing to make him appear serious.

"Yeah, whatever." Shari waved her hands in front of her and pushed herself from the door. She made her way out of their sight but not before muttering under her breath, "‘m not judging you."

"It’s true!" The Doctor yelled for her to hear him but Shari was already gone.

River shook her head. The Doctor always had the tendency to fall into planets and worlds where a lot of weird stuff happened. One time he would come to her covered in slime, or he would arrive totally grey with chimney dirt. Also, there was this one time when he teleported himself, totally naked, in her bedroom with only a broken vortex manipulator on his wrist. You could never know how the Doctor was going to come to you. It was always a surprise, it was always interesting, though.

The Doctor looked at River through the mirror in front of him as she came behind him to examine the state of his hair. "River, you’re not going to tell Amy and Rory about this, are you?"

She met his eyes in the mirror, a smile twitching at the corner of her lips. After a second she shrugged. The thing was that she always told Amy anything about the Doctor, -except for the private stuff like their sexual activities, it was still her mother- so of course she would tell Amy about this incident.

"River!" The Doctor whined. She was always betraying him to her own mother, this wasn’t fair. He was still her boyfriend, she was supposed to be supportive and not make fun of him. Plus, with his best friend, Amy. Which was also her mother so that seemed fair actually. But not the point, he had saved millions of people today and the only thing they will remember of this day was how his hair turned pink. It was ridiculous!

"You’re not getting away this easily, sweetie." She chuckled and the Doctor sighed.  So much for wanting it to stay a secret between him and River. "Come on, let’s wash your hair." She said at last, urging him to stand up form his stool.

He grumbled but accompanied her to the shower. "I hate you."

River rolled her eyes and cast a glance at him. "Nah, you don’t. You love me, I’m your saviour." She replied and the Doctor stuck his tongue at her. "Even when you’re a child."

 


	10. Shari!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set near the end of River's time at Luna.  
> Enjoy!

Shari opened the door of her bathroom in one swift motion. A wave of steam whisked her face and left it all moist and sticky. She groaned loudly and made her way to the loo, not paying attention to the two, very naked, people currently making out under the spray of the shower.

"Is this a bathroom or a sauna in here?" She wondered aloud, intending to make her presence known to the two people currently under the shower. Unbuttoning her jeans, she sat on the toilet. The principle of private space was something very foreign in the 51st century.

River startled at the voice behind her and broke away from the Doctor. "Shari!" She shouted and quickly pulled the shower curtain between Shari and her and the Doctor. The latter flushed red and removed his hands from River’s body as if it had burned him. A mortified look on his face, he tried to cover himself the best he could, that’s to say with River’s body in front of him. "What are you doing here? Can’t you see we’re busy!"

"You two have been clogging the bathroom for more than thirty minutes. I needed to pee!" Shari replied, her elbows on her knees as she looked at the tiles in front of her. 

After a moment, she fished out her phone from the pocket of her jeans. The water was still running in the shower and Shari began to screw down her phone. Looking up from her phone, Shari was met with silent and she wondered if the two occupant of the shower had gone back to their matter at hand. 

Sighing, Shari looked back down at her phone before speaking up. "There won’t be any hot water left for me later if you two begin to make your life under the spray."

She heard the water been turned off and she gave a small thanks. She was always the one to shower under cold water, it wasn’t fair. Plus, she knew very well that the Doctor had multiples bathroom, showers, bathtubs and swimming pool - for God’s sake- in his time machine or what he called his TARDIS. Why they always used River’s bathroom for their… _activities_ was a mystery to her.

On the other side of the shower curtain, a heavy silence fell. The Doctor cast an embarrassed glance at River and scratched his head awkwardly. Meeting his eyes, River rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest to seek a bit of warmth since the hot water was no longer running. The Doctor pulled her to him and placed his arms around her shoulders. Why couldn’t they have a private moment? It’s not as if Shari didn’t knew what they were doing. No, the real question was, what wasn’t she embarrassed as they were? Well, as _he_ was.

"Shari, are you quite finished?" River asked after a couple of second of silence. Her roommate was lovely but sometimes she really couldn’t take a hint.

"I’m peeing, let me pee!" 

River rolled her eyes and sighed, "I know you’re not peeing, I can hear you texting on your phone." She glanced at the Doctor and shook her head in exasperation. The Doctor sighed and looked around him, trying not to think about River’s hot body pressed against him. Shari was not even five feet away from them, this was really too awkward. But still, she has interrupted them in the worst of times. And now, she wouldn’t even go away.

He pressed closer to River and whispered in her ear, "Can’t you make her go away?" The latter made a grimace meaning that she didn’t really know if she could and shrugged. The Doctor sighed. Alright, he understood, he’ll have to wait and not pay attention to his body betraying his wish to stay still. The soft flesh of River’s body pressed to his didn’t help either. He could feel every inch of her being pressed to him and he didn’t know if he could hold any longer.

"Sorry, am I making you uncomfortable, Doc?" A blush rose on the Doctor’s face as he forgot there was only a thin curtain separating them from Shari and that she must have heard him moan. He groaned in respond, not really comfortable with the fact that she could hear every one of their moves since the water wasn’t running anymore. Looking back at her phone, Shari continued, "Don’t worry, I don’t really care to see you two like that. It’s not the first time anyway. Plus, you know it’s not my jam. I prefer the company of women. Or robots, it depends."

The Doctor hummed noncommittally and slicked his hair back awkwardly. River sighed and leaned towards him, placing her head on his chest. She could hear the beating of his hearts, they were thumping abnormally rapidly and she smiled into his chest. It appeared that even with Shari in the room she had still an effect on him. "You think if we begin to do it right now she’ll go away?" She whispered and the Doctor simply shrugged. She didn’t miss the way his body shivered.

"I won’t." Shari replied in a sing-song voice. "And Riv, you knew that Sam and Eric were getting married next month." She continued casually, blissfully unaware of the Doctor groan of exasperation.

River pushed her head away from the Doctor, a frown on her face. "Aren’t they twins?" She asked, genuinely interested. The Doctor groaned once again by her side. Good now they were going to have a little girl chat, just great. At the worst of times, of course. It wouldn’t be fun if it wasn’t the case. Sometimes the Doctor wondered if the two girls were doing this to rile him up. Well, it worked, but they wouldn’t know that obviously.

"What, no! It’s just their species that make them look identical but they’re definitely not twins." Shari replied as she scrolled through her phone.

"Well, I’ve always thought that—" River was cut suddenly by the Doctor pushing her against the wall with his own body. The sudden move made her squeak but she quickly recovered. She looked at him questioningly but he simply shook his head. He began to kiss her neck and pressed himself against her. Wide eyed, River placed her hands on his chest, silently asking him what he was doing.

The Doctor detached himself from her and pulled a bit away. His lust glazed eyes met hers and she felt a heat descending straight her lower abdomen. "Make her go away." He uttered in a whisper and then lowered his hand to grasp her thigh and placed it around his waist. River let out a faint moan and nodded.

"Shari, go away." She said, her voice a little high-pitched.

"Why? I’m good here." Came the response from the other side of the shower curtain.

The Doctor turned the shower on and hot droplets began to run on their bodies. River was startled by the sudden change of temperature but welcomed the hot water warming up her body. Tightening his grip on her thigh, the Doctor travelled his mouth to hers and they shared a messy kiss. The water muffled their noise but didn’t make them forget Shari’s presence in the other side of the room. River detached her mouth from the Doctor’s and placed her hands on his chest.

"Shari, go away and I’ll give you five quid." She said between moans and intake of breath, placing her arms around the Doctor’s neck. The latter was currently kissing his way down her neck and River could not suppress a moan.

"Ten."

"Ten, okay!" River shouted as the Doctor took a breath in his mouth. She moaned at the sensation and ran her hands through his wet hair, pushing her hair against the tiles of the shower.

Shari rolled her eyes and finally stood up, starting to make her way out of the bathroom. At last she turned around, "And don’t take all the water!" No one replied and she sighed, closing the door behind her.

When the door was finally closed behind her, Shari shook her head. Those two were so bashful sometimes, she would never understand them. She had been trying to make then become less shy in public, and even if the two were already quite experimented in public indecency they still looked bashful. They were so 21st century.


	11. First Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is exactly what you think it is.

"Quick! Quick!" The Doctor shouted as him and River hastily entered the TARDIS. Sounds of explosions could be heard behind them as he quickly closed the door. When they were finally safe in the TARDIS they both slumped against it and regained their breath as best they could.

River dropped her head against the wood and began to chuckle quietly. Then, he chuckle turned to a full laugh as she exhaled a ragged breath. The Doctor turned his head in her direction and watched her laughing heartily, she had her eyes closed and was still breathing heavily but in this instant she looked like a goddess. Unintentionally, the Doctor began to laugh too, not really knowing what about but River’s laugh was communicative.

River opened her eyes at last and caught the Doctor’s laughing gaze. A small tentative smile appeared on her face and the Doctor smiled in return. They locked eyes for a moment until the Doctor pushed away from the door and towards his console. 

River followed him with her eyes, still leaning against the door, her hands braced on either side of it. The Doctor rounded the console panel while removing his jacket in the process. He threw it on the railing and began to input coordinates, getting them far away from this planet. River watched as he swirled in place and ran to opposite sides of the console, pushing buttons and lowering levers. He was such a madman when he controlled his TARDIS.

After making the TARDIS take off, he leaned on the console, bracing his hands on it. "How could’ve I known Sontarans would crash our date and plan an invasion on this exact planet, at this exact instant?" He sighed and exhaled a still ragged breath. They’ve been running for so long, trying to escape the Sontarans, they were now totally exhausted.

River removed her heels and kicked them to the side. Those shoes had been killing her feet for most of evening but it became unbearable when they had needed to run. Finally on solid ground, River appreciated the cold metallic ground under her burning feet. 

She turned her head to the Doctor, still leaning on the console. "It’s our third date and we already encountered a Sontaran invasion. Is it going to be this way all the time?" She asked and the Doctor cast a glance at her, a smug grin at the corner of his lips. She took this as a yes. 

A smile graced her lips but she saw the Doctor sigh, his chin on his chest. He pushed himself away from the console and plopped down on the pilot seat. He passed a hand ove his face and let his head fall at the back of the chair. "Our date is completely ruined now."

River watched him from her position on the door, his crestfallen expression made her hearts twinge. She knew how the Doctor was looking forward to this date. He wanted to impress her with the wonderful places he knew but things didn’t always went as planned and no-one could prevent a Sontaran invasion.

They had been dating for nearly a month now and they hadn’t reach the mark of the third date, well it was their third date right now but it had been crashed by Sontarans. Both the Doctor and River knew what happened at the end of the third date, well usually, and River was kind of looking forward to it. She thought it was the right time for her. 

Her gaze refocused on the Doctor’s form and she saw him already looking at her. She didn't know why but in this instant she felt an heat enveloping her that had nothing to do with the running. Her hearts had began to thump inside her chest without her even being aware of it and she felt herself blush.

In the month that her and the Doctor had been dating she couldn’t say that anything really happened. Except for the small kisses or even the make out sessions happening after their first two date. They haven’t gone really far. But right now, looking at him, she felt like she wanted more. She _did_ want more. And well, their date wasn’t finished yet, was it?

Pushing away from the door, River walked in the direction of the Doctor. The latter watched her with exhaustion clouded eyes, his head still pillowed by the backrest of the chair. River approached him with a smile and said, "I don’t think our date is ruined." The Doctor raised an eyebrow and his head to look at her properly. "Because I don’t think it’s finished."

The inquiring look on the Doctor’s face made her smile even more, it gave her confidence.

It made her continue her path in his direction. When she was an inch away from him and a puzzled look adorned his face, River plopped down on his lap, straddling him. His eyes went wide, not really expecting this. He resettled more upright in his seat and watched River, his hands hovering over her body, not really knowing if he could place his hands somewhere safe. This was the most intimate position they have ever been in and the Doctor felt his face flushing with heat.

River smiled timidly at him and placed her hands on his collarbone, a perfectly acceptable place to begin with. The Doctor wondered if she could feel his hearts beating really fast inside his chest because that’s about the only thing he could hear at the moment. 

Finally, the Doctor placed his hands on her shoulders, at least he was touching her now and their position was less awkward. He could feel River’s hearts beating rapidly as he touched and, gosh, that meant she could fell his hearts equally well. 

River wouldn’t show it but in the inside she was quite anxious, she didn’t really know what she was currently doing. She just went with was felt good. They had began to breath quickly again but this time it was not about the running but more about their proximity.

River placed her hands on the Doctor’s cheekbones and stroked the skin there. The latter brought on hand to her neck and pulled her face to him. Finally, their lips met and it was an explosion of colour behind their eyelids. Their scent mingled and they soon let go of the anxiousness to concentrate on their kiss, a thing they were used to.

The Doctor kept his hands on her face, not knowing if it was okay to place them somewhere else. He scowled at himself for looking like a teenager having his first snog, which wasn’t.

River placed her arms around his neck and played with the hair at the base of his neck. She drew closer to him and the Doctor gasped faintly. He was definitely aware of her weight above him and he felt his body react to her in it’s own free way.

It would be quite awkward if River realised what she was doing to him, but hell, he couldn’t help himself. She was just so hot and soft against him, he felt a wave of heat jolting through his body and involuntarily bit her lower lip between his teeth. 

River made a small noise of contentment and kissed him further, opening her mouth beneath his. Their tongue met and played together for a moment. Then, River involuntarily set her hips to his and they both gasped at the same time, detaching their lips from each other before quickly coming back to the kiss. 

The Doctor dropped his hand to her waist and pulled her closer to him. The friction made them gasp once again and the Doctor was sure that now River was aware of his little 'problem'. 

Forced to break the kiss for oxygen purpose, River placed her forehead against the Doctor’s and they gazed at each other with lust filled eyes. They were panting heavily at the lake of oxygen they had received, but still, they smiled at each other. 

With eyes still locked, River lowered her shaky hands to his bowtie and untied it. The Doctor watched her, his mouth slightly ajar and his hearts pounding in his chest. River removed the bowtie and placed it on the railing next to them. Then, she returned to his chest and her eyes met his again.

She felt her hearts beating as fast as she has ever seen them do. Her hands trembled but she brought them to his collar and began to unbutton his shirt. The buttons slowly came off and revealed his pale skin underneath. River passed her hands under his shirt and against his bare chest, feeling his hearts beating inside his ribcage. _We’re really going to do this, we really are_ , she told herself.

The Doctor watched her with lust. His hand resting on her face lowered to be placed at her waist. Mustering up his courage, he travelled his hands beneath her blouse and ran his finger over her bare skin. He looked up at River’s eyes and found her already looking at him. He gave her a questioning glance down and she nodded.

Slowly, he removed her blouse, making her curls tumble out after he passed it over her head. He threw the blouse on the glass floor and returned to her body. She wore a lacy black bra that did nothing to hide her hard nipples and the Doctor simply wanted to touch her. But the shy part of him placed his hands to her waist, stroking the flesh of he stomach with his thumbs.

River smiled timidly and her hands found their way back to his chest. The Doctor drew her closer by the waist and their lips found each other again. This time, the kiss was more heated and River travelled her hands lower to remove his shirt from his trousers, then she unbuttoned it completely and placed her hands over his bare torso. 

Their kiss was messy as the atmosphere around them became more heated, their tongue circled one another and they breathed hard against each other’s mouth. Then, River tried as best she could to remove his braces and the Doctor help her getting his arms out of it.

Once the braces were out of the way, River tried to push his shirt down his shoulders, unsuccessfully. The Doctor reluctantly pulled away from the kiss and took River’s hand in his own to stop what she was doing. The latter opened her eyes, a puzzled look on her face, and met the Doctor’s soft smile.

He stroked her hands with his thumbs and looked her in the eyes. "You really want to do this?" He asked her, the genuine question showing his own anxiousness.

Without hesitating, River nodded, "Yes. I really do."

The Doctor smiled, "Then I think we should take this somewhere more comfortable, eh?" A small chuckle escaped him as he looked around them, they were still in the console room on a rusty pilot chair. 

River smiled and nodded. She stood up from the Doctor’s lap and took his hand, helping him to stand up. Her eyes ran over his dishevelled appearance, his shirt was totally open and his braces were hanging from his trousers. The latter had a noticeable bulge in the lower area and River blushed. She had quite the effect on him, it appeared.

The Doctor saw her watching him and felt himself flushing red. He took her hand and lead her to corridor and into the depth of the TARDIS. Her bare feet made a soft noise on the floor as she padded at the Doctor’s side.

Finally, the arrived in front of a wooden door and the Doctor came to a stop. He cast a glance at her and opened the door, letting her go in first. River entered the room and looked around her. So, this was where the Doctor slept, when he slept. 

This bedroom looked weirdly normal, it wasn’t a big room as she had expected but a decently normal sized on. After all, she thought it made sense since he rarely slept, he didn’t necessarily need to have a big space to sleep in. The bedroom contained a double bed in the center and a desk in the far right corner filled with papers and books. At her left was a door, she expected it to be the ensuite bathroom.

River turned around the see the Doctor leaning on the now closed door. He had been watching her the whole time, walking around with only her bra and jeans. River came to him and took his hands to pull him to her. The Doctor pushed away from the door and closed the distance between them, kissing her with abandon. 

They kissed for a while until the Doctor dropped his hands to the hem of her jeans and River took an intake of breath. They pulled away from the kiss and locked eyes as the Doctor undid the single button of her jeans. He watched her intently as he slowly removed her jeans, passing his hands over her bum and dragging it down her thighs and knees. River stepped out of her jeans and the Doctor straightened to be at eye level.

River always thought she was one to show off her body but in this instant she felt quite shy. She was in her underwear in front of the Doctor and felt like covering her body. It’s not that she was ashamed of her body, far from that, but she didn’t know how the Doctor would react to it.

The Doctor looked at her and pulled her to him. They kissed again and River placed her hands on his bare chest. She felt quite inferior in terms of clothing and wanted to restore the same level of nudity. She felt the Doctor’s hands over her hips and felt his hesitation to go lower. 

Then, she removed his shirt and he had to let go of her hips in order to discard it. When they were both bare chested, the Doctor pulled her close to him, the sensation of their bare chest pressed to one another, except for River’s bra, doing wonder to them.

With a bit more confidence, River dropped her hands to the fly of his trousers and unzipped it. The feeling of River’s hands near his sensitive area made jolts of electricity come down to it. River haven’t even touched him and he already felt close to his release, he’s been waiting for so long to do this and now was not the time to be disappointing by being a smidge…precocious. 

He took River’s shaky hands in his and she quickly looked at him with worried eyes. The Doctor smiled and shook his head, "Let me."

River dropped her hands to her side and watched as the Doctor removed his trousers. Then, he realised he had still his shoes on and that his trousers were now stuck at his ankles. River pressed her lips together as the Doctor hopped into place to remove his shoes. The task was harder than he thought and in his hast he forgot that his braces were still attached to his trousers and that it had now tangled with one of his leg. River let out a little gasp as he stumbled into the nearest wall, at least now there was a flat surface to support him.

At last, he managed to remove his trousers, braces, shoes and even socks. He looked up at River with a proud expression to see her hiding a giggle behind her hand. "Oh, hush, you!" He said, trying to recover but River giggled once again. _Great, just great Doctor_.

He walked to her and pulled her flush to him, crashing his mouth on her. Her giggles died down in her throat, replaced by a moan as he had planted his hands on her butt and pushed his hips against hers.

River was left speechless at the feeling of the Doctor against her. Some parts of him being very present against her body. Every comical thoughts were gone, replaced by lust and love.

River placed her arms around his shoulders and looked into his eyes. The Doctor gazed at her, a small smile stretching on his face. They were both in their underwear now, they were equal in term of clothing. River looked down at his body, he wore a deep blue boxer with a quite prominent bulge inside it. Looking back at his face, River felt a blush creeping up her neck.

The Doctor smiled shyly in return. He pulled her face to his to hide the blush now covering his face. River smiled into the kiss and felt one of the Doctor’s hand creep up her back and into her hair. Then, she felt him move towards her, the hand on her hips nudging her to walk backwards. 

Together they walked blindly in the direction of the bed. Suddenly, River hit the back of the bed with her knees and fell on it with a gasp, bringing the Doctor with her which caused him to fall flat on top of her. The sudden weight of the Doctor knocked her breath away and she began to laugh as he hastily moved away from her and came to lay at her side, apologising profusely.

The Doctor sighed at last and closed his eyes with an embarrassed expression. When River had stopped laughing, she cast a glance at him and took his hand, pulling him to her. The Doctor opened his eyes and looked at her for a moment. How could this woman still want him after he had made a fool of himself? Twice in less than five minutes. 

River, still holding his hand, resettled on the bed and placed her head on a pillow, watching him. At last, River’s gaze convinced him that he mustn’t have been that foolish since she appeared to still want him.

With pounding hearts, the Doctor crept up over her on all fours and placed his hands on either side of her head. He had settled between her legs as she had opened them to accommodate him. River placed her hands on his collarbones and her fingers crept up his neck to play with his hair. Their breath mingled and the Doctor lowered his face to capture her mouth with his.

As they kissed, the Doctor lower his hand to her hips and pulled her closer, eliciting a gasp from River. She felt the Doctor grind his hips against her once more and felt his hardness rub against her own core. Her stomach churned and she felt very hot all of a sudden.

Placing her hands on his chest, she broke the kiss and reluctantly pushed him away. "Wait." She said between ragged breath and pushed him a bit more forcefully as he had began to kiss her jaw. "Doctor."

Hearing his name, the Doctor looked up to see furrowed brows looking back at him. A worried look appeared on his face and he quickly detangled himself from her, preferring to sit up cross legged.

"Did- did I do something wrong?" He stammered and mistook River worried gaze for a yes. "I’m so sorry. I- I…—"

River hastily sat up and covered his mouth with her hand. A smile played at her lips, "Shut up, you idiot." She chuckled, dropping a kiss to his mouth. The Doctor frowned as River placed her hands on his shoulders and brushed his hair out of his face. "You did nothing wrong. It’s just…" She sighed and looked down, "It’s just that I’m a bit nervous." She whispered, playing with the hair at the base of his neck absent-mindedly.

The Doctor bit his lip and took River’s chin in hand, making her look up at him. "What are you nervous about?" River pressed her lips together and shrugged. "You know it’s me and I would never hurt you."

"I know, I know. It’s just I…" She rolled her eyes to herself and chuckled nervously. "Well, I think I should have told you beforehand but now seems like a good time." The Doctor’s frown deepened and he placed his hands on her waist, not really understanding where she was going. "Hum, well, I’m quite nervous because…" River frowned to herself and the Doctor saw a blush creeping up her neck. "Because I haven’t really… _done_ it."

She looked up at him with a anxious gaze and the Doctor smiled a bit, stroking her bare skin with his thumb. "Does that mean what that means?"

River squirmed beneath his tickling touch, her face was red from the blush. She rolled her eyes. "Yes, Doctor. What I mean is that I am a virgin." She confessed at last.

The Doctor’s smile turned to a grin and he suddenly engulfed her in his arms, making them fall unto the sheets in a tangle of limbs. He levered himself on his elbow and watched River, she was looking at him with a puzzled face. It wasn’t the reaction she was expecting. 

"I’m actually quite relieved by your confession." He said, tracing patterns over her collarbone, and River raised an eyebrow.

"And why’s that?" She replied, her tone amused. 

The Doctor travelled his fingers to her face and traced the lines of her mouth. His gaze met River’s interrogative one and he shook his head with a chuckle. "Well, I’m actually not that experienced in this either." He said waving his hand between them. "I’m really not that experienced. Well, I’ve already had sex before but very few times and a long time ago. Centuries maybe, I don’t remember." He confessed and River looked at up with a soft smile at the corner of her lips.

"Then, why now? Why with me?" She whispered softly.

"I think you woke something inside me." He said with a smile, his gaze focused on her features. "You know, this type of relationship is very humany-wumany and us Time Lords don’t necessarily feel the need to make love." His gaze met hers and he quickly diverted them back to her collarbone. "But with you it’s different. I feel like I really want to have this bond with you. This intimate bond."

He smiled to himself before looking up at her. River was longingly gazing at him, her fingers slowly stroking his hair. Then, the Doctor stopped the travel of his fingers and refocused his gaze on her. He resettled half on top of her, his elbow bracing his weight, and bopped her nose.

"I don’t understand, though. How can a woman as sexy as you never had the occasion to do it? Not that it’s a bad thing that you didn’t." He stammered at last and River chuckled.

"Well, when I was Mels I wasn’t really interested in this sort of things. Of course, there were mens fawning over me but none of them interested me. Plus, I was still under the grip of Kovarian and well, anyway…." The Doctor nodded and brushed his thumb over her eyelids. "And now that I’ve regenerated into River…Well, there was you and here we are." She chuckled nervously, waving at their entwined bodies.

The Doctor smiled, "You know, I think we may both be virgins since I’ve never done it in this regeneration." He chuckled to himself and pressed his nose to her neck, he felt River’s chest rumble as she laughed with him.

"Look at us lot," River giggled, "Ingenuous Time Lords ready to get laid."

The Doctor smiled against her neck and kissed the spot just under her ear. Then, he rolled on top of her, supporting his weight with his arms. River ran her hands over his bare torso and looked up at him with a sincere gaze. The Doctor lowered himself to brush his nose against hers. "Do you still want to do it or you don’t feel ready for the moment?"

A smile bloomed over her face as she raised her head to meet his mouth for a simple kiss. "I think I am more ready than ever. Plus, I know you’ll be gentle." The Doctor nodded and brought his lips to her once again. 

River opened her mouth beneath him and her tongue ran over his lower lip, eliciting a moan from him. She rounded her arms around his waist, flattening her hands on his back and bringing him closer for more friction. 

The Doctor broke the kiss and began to brush his lips against her jaw. River felt his hands travel over her body and around her hips, pulling her closer. The feeling of him hard against her made her gasp.

Suddenly, the Doctor sat up and brought her with him. She sat on his lap and circled her legs around his waist. The Doctor brought his mouth back to her and they shared a hot and heavy kiss. Full of confidence, he brought one of his hand to her breast and began to roll his finger over the hard nipple. River moaned into his mouth and wiggled closer. She rolled her hips over him, the thin fabric of their underwear still separating them.

The Doctor gasped and brought his two hands up to cup her beasts. They fit perfectly in his hands but her bra was still in the way. His mouth still over hers, he moved his hands blindly to her back and took hold of the clasp of her bra. He fiddled with it but it wouldn’t detach, he quite frankly didn’t understand how this thing worked. 

Pulling his mouth away from River’s, he opened his eyes and put his tongue between his teeth, trying to work out the mechanism of her bra. After a few seconds of struggle, River chuckled and detached the clasp of her bra herself in one swift motion. The Doctor grumbled a small thanks and River smiled, he could be so ridiculously clumsy sometimes.

The bra now detached, the Doctor slowly removed the straps from her shoulders, revealing her naked breasts. He threw the bra on the side and directed his gaze to her breasts. River looked at him with her lower lip between her teeth, waiting for him to do something. Softly, he took her breasts in his hands, weighting them in his palms, and ran his thumbs over her perky nipples.

He looked up at River to see her watching him intently, he smiled. River brought her hands to his face and drew him closer for a kiss. The Doctor lowered them on the bed and pulled away from the kiss, looking at her with lust in his eyes. River looked back, her eyes reflecting the same emotion.

Then, the Doctor lowered his mouth to her neck and descended with kisses all over her body. He mouthed at her collarbone and bit playfully at it, eliciting a gasp from River. With a smile, he continued his path downward and kissed his way between her breasts to her stomach. He glanced up to see River’s reaction and saw her take an intake of breath. Then, she nodded at his interrogative gaze and dropped her head back into the pillows.

The Doctor lowered himself on the bed and kissed the skin just above the hem of her knickers several times. He could hear River breathing loudly and dropped his hands to her knickers, holding the hem between his fingers. Then, he removed them slowly, dragging them over her thighs and knees before dropping it to the pile of clothes lingering the floor.

He felt his cock throb painfully inside the confinement of his boxer at the sight of River, laying completely naked on _his_ bed. With his sheets and his pillows. She looked glorious. 

Resettling over her, the Doctor came back on top of her, their body aligned in every way. River had opened her legs to let him settle between them and he could feel her wetness soaking his boxer as he canted his hips against hers. River was breathing hard against his neck as he nuzzled his own against hers. 

"Touch me." She whispered and he dropped his hand between their bodies, his finger tracing a path from the valley of her breasts to soft curls at the apex of her sex. Descending lower, his fingers found her to be already soaked and he groaned into her neck, his cock twitching beneath him. River gripped his shoulder and moaned as he stroked a thumb over her clit, the sensation of his hands on her sex bringing stars behind her eyelids.

The Doctor couldn’t help himself but to thrust against her thigh, the friction of his cock against her making him see black dots around the eyes. He teased her entrance with his thumb, enjoying the way she arched her back for more. 

"Please." She begged, turning her face in his direction to catch his lips between hers. She breathed hard against his mouth as he finally entered a finger inside of her, deliberately slowly. The feeling of her core around his finger made the Doctor moan and he began to move it in and out of her, making her moan and grip his biceps. He pushed another finger inside her and River arched her back for more friction. He began to pump his fingers inside her, eliciting moans of pleasure from River. Her breath was ragged and he felt her walls tightened around his fingers.

"Please, I want you." She uttered between ragged breaths and brought his body closer to her by the waist. The Doctor removed his fingers from her and cleaned them on the sheet. Then, he settled over her, his arms on either side of her face. His lips met hers in a desperate kiss and he dropped his hand to her butt, pulling her closer. River moaned as he rubbed his clothed cock against her bare sex. She lowered her hands to his boxer, urging him to remove it. 

He reluctantly pulled away from her to remove his boxer and River watched as his cock sprang back into place, her eyes wide and her lower lip between her teeth. She was supporting her weight with her elbows as she levered herself to watch him. The Doctor took his cock in hand and stroked it a few times, the sight of River naked and soaking wet on his bed was doing all sorts of things to his inside. 

He broke eye contact to take a condom in his nightstand and broke it out of the package, rolling it on his cock. Then, he resettled over River as she lay down, her face surrounded by a halo of hair.

"Ready?" He asked, his eyes locked with River’s as she nodded quickly. He dropped a kiss to her mouth before taking his cock in hand and guiding himself to her entrance. River tightened her grip on biceps in anticipation. She knew that first times alway hurt, she simply hoped he would be gentle. But knowing him, she knew he would. 

She felt the tip of his cock brushing against her entrance and took a intake of breath. The Doctor looked at her face to see her reactions, knowing if he should continue or not. At River’s nod, he slowly pushed further and entered her inch by inch. River gasp and gripped his biceps, making him stop and look worriedly at her. After a few seconds, she exhaled a breath and relaxed around him. It didn’t hurt as she had expected but there was still a small pain, it was still bearable. 

Loosening her grip on him, she lowered her hands to his back, letting him know it was okay for him to continue. With as much delicacy as before, the Doctor finally entered her whole. The feeling of her around him was almost too much but he concentrated on her face. River had her mouth ajar as she breathed heavily on the crook of his neck. The sensation of him inside her, of being finally whole, was indescribable. It felt so much better than she thought it would. She was ready for more.

She moved her hands down his body and to his butt, urging him to move. When he began to thrust, slowly at first, River moaned and her eyes rolled into their orbits. If she thought this was great before, the sensation she was feeling now was heavenly. With every thrust, the Doctor moaned into her neck and with every thrust, River felt the Doctor hit a point inside her that made her see stars. 

She felt a tension inside her growing bigger every time he hit that spot, it felt like fireworks inside her belly except lower. The Doctor pressed his face to her neck and tightened his grip on her shoulders as he rolled his hips over hers. The moans of pleasure made by River went straight to his cock and he felt his release coming fast.

River placed one leg around his waist and this new angle made her gasp as the Doctor went so much deeper inside her. The latter suppressed a moan at this new position and rolled his hips at a quicker pace. River arched her back and at the next thrust of the Doctor she felt something snap inside her and a tingle ran through her whole body, enveloping her in a wave of pleasure. When the Doctor felt her walls tightened around him, he couldn’t hold himself any longer and came inside her. 

His grip on her loosened as he practically fell on top of her, his head pillowed by her shoulder and a film of sweat covering his forehead. River was nearly coming down from her high when she felt the Doctor slumping on her. She stroked his back with shaky hands and the Doctor, finally realising he was crushing her, rolled into his back and lay panting at her side.

Their shoulders brushed and River turned her face to him to see him already looking at her. "Wow." She whispered and the Doctor smiled in return.

"Wow." He replied. A wave of exhaustion rushed over him all of a sudden and he felt like it has been so long since he last slept. He quickly stood up to dispose of the condom in a nearby bin and returned to the bed. River has rolled on her side facing him and he scooted closer, engulfing her in his arms so that every inch of their body was touching. She placed her arms around his waist and nuzzled her face in the crook of his neck. Their legs entwined with one another and the Doctor sighed in contentment, his head pillowed by her hair.

This was one memorable first time, River thought. She could hear the Doctor’s hearts beating near her ear and it relaxed her into a sleepy haze. The emotion of this evening have tiered her and she felt like the Doctor’s arms were a good place to sleep in.

After a few second, the Doctor dropped small kisses in the crown of her head but saw that River wasn’t responding. Raising his head from its comfortable position he saw that she had her eyes closed and was breathing evenly. A smile twitched at the corner of his lips and he dropped his head back on the pillow. He also felt sleepy but thought he could stay a little longer awake, just to watch her sleep.

His limbs still entwined with her, he managed to throw the blanket over their naked bodies. The lights dimmed automatically and the Doctor mentally thanked the TARDIS before resettling in River’s embrace.

Being a Time Lord, he had never been one to like sexual intercourse. But now that he had River in his arms he felt like it was one new part of himself being revealed to himself. In the end, if it was River, he quite liked sexual intercourse. 

He was even rather keen on it. This was one part of their relationship that he was looking forwards to discover more thoroughly. 

Yes, he thought, he would love this part of their relationship. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are welcomed!


	12. New Year’s Eve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> River's first New Year's celebrations with her parents and the Doctor.

"Tell me again why we need to do this?" The Doctor said out loud to no one in particular. "Because, I find it to be extremely boring." Grumbling the last part, he huffed and removed the locks of hair that had fallen into his eyes with a puff.

Amy walked past him with a sigh, intending to ignore his whining and setting her mind on finding a pair of shoes. Why were shoe never found in pairs? In the corner of her eyes, she saw the Doctor sigh and drop his head against the wall with a bang. Taking upon herself, she cast a glare in his direction, he looked like a restless child, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed against his chest. She internally rolled her eyes, the only thing missing was the petulant pout.

As the Doctor met her glare, he huffed, "Come on, why do we need to do this human thing? It’s so human that it’s weird, even for humans themselves." Oh, there was the pout, Amy thought. "Look, I could bring you all to the most magnificent planet of New Year, it is actually called New Year. On this planet, every minute is a new year and every minute is a celebration. Much more fun than this little Leadworth thing."

"Doctor, stop whining." Amy said at last. When she located one of her shoe, she made a little noise of triomphe before waving it in his direction. "Firstly, this is not something that we _need_ to do. We simply want to." The Doctor rolled his eyes and huffed. "It’s a Leadworth tradition to come on the town square on New Year’s Eve, everyone gathers there and it’s fun." She slapped him with her shoe as he mimicked her saying ‘fun’. "And it’s not our fault if the TARDIS has been stuck in here for the past week. You’ll just have to bear with us."

A smile twitched at the corner of his lips and he rolled his eyes once more just for good measure. "I still like the New Year planet better. You have to wear metallic boots on it because of the rotation which is very rapid. Can you imagine, having to make a whole tour around a star in a minute. Absolutely mesmerising...and dizzying." He thought about it with a frown before throwing Amy a broad grin. 

The latter rolled her eyes and searched around for her second shoe.

The Doctor raised his eyes as River descended the stairs, two steps at the time. "It’s true, it’s really cool." She said and walked past him, taking her boots that were neatly stowed in the rack made for it. "It’s a tradition in the Pond family to go there. Well, me, mum and dad. When I was Mels, we never skipped a year." She slipped on her boots and walked to him, a slim grin adorning her face. "We can’t skip a tradition, eh? Plus, you can’t say it’s boring before trying it."

The Doctor rolled his eyes, it appear it was the only thing he could do tonight. River’s smile made him break his defences and he uncrossed his arms, pushing away from the wall. "Urg, sometimes I wonder who’s the real mother in there." He said while bopping her nose. River scrunched it adorably and he suddenly felt the dire need to kiss her. A quick glance at Amy made him stop his line of thoughts as the latter watched them with a curious look.

He dropped his arm to his side and threw a small smile in River’s direction. Sometimes, he understood why River didn’t want her parents to know about their relationship but it pained him to not be able to act freely around her.

River made a small grimace before turning around and meeting her mother’s gaze. "I heard there would be fireworks this year." She took her coat from the hatstand and slipped it on. "We can’t be late for fireworks, can we?"

Amy hummed just at the moment Rory went down the stairs, his coat in one hand and his shoes in the other. "Yep, definitely can’t be late!" He said, a little bit too loudly for his own liking and began to lace his shoes once he was at the bottom. "Urg, why is everybody in the hall? Definitely too crowded. Come on, everyone out before we arrive late."

"Oi, Mister Pond! Calm down, we’re not going to be late." Amy shouted playfully at him as she went to the door.

"Amy," Rory began more calmly, "The Doctor’s here, we might as well arrive next week."

"Oi!" The concerned man exclaimed. "I’ll let you know that I am always on time!" At Amy’s raised eyebrow, he spluttered, "On foot! I’m always on time _on foot_." He grumbled under his breath as River pushed him out of the house, a compassionate smile in place just for good measure. "River, tell them! I’m very punctual!"

Her smile grew even more, "You forget the time mum send you out to buy milk and you came back half an hour later. You still haven’t told us what you were doing." She said, on the verge of laugher.

The Doctor huffed and grumbled something under his breath that sounded like ‘ducks’ and ‘cute’. River rolled her eyes at him. Yes, he was definitely a child.

When everyone was out of the house, the Pond family began to walk in the direction of the town square. The cold was biting their face in this freezing 

December night. There were a lot of people in the streets, some heading in the same direction as them and some already partying in small groups, singing cheesy old songs and partially drunk. 

Amy and Rory walked in the front, babbling around and huddled together to keep the cold from their body. River and the Doctor were walking side by side a bit behind them. A respectable distance separated their body from one another and at some moments their hands touched, making them look up at each other with a tiny smile twitching at their lips. 

After walking in a pleasant silence, River tucked her hands in her coat’s pockets, "Urg, it’s so cold in there. Why is Leadworth so cold, no matter the season?" She wondered to herself and the Doctor chuckled at her side. 

Placing a arm around her shoulders, he pulled her to him, nesting her into his side. He nuzzled his face into her curls, knowing that he wouldn’t have much time before River reacted to this proximity. 

As if on cue, River raised her head to meet his eyes, her own were wide as she looked at his face then at her parents before them. "Doctor," She whispered so only him could hear. "What are you doing?"

"Keeping you warm so you won’t freeze to death." He casually said before looking down at her with a smirk. "What do _you_ think I’m doing?" He asked, feigning innocence with the most naive look she’s seen on him.

"Doctor," She uttered between clenched teeth, trying to push him away but he tightened his grip on her shoulders. "Stop it, my parents are right here."

"And I’m certain they wouldn’t mind knowing I make sure to prevent their daughter from freezing to death, that’s just… friendliness." He said and was met with a raised eyebrow on her part. "What?" He asked and her eyebrow rose up even higher. Sighing, he loosened his grip on her but still held her at a respectably friendly distance. River released a breath and smiled softly. 

The Doctor cleared his throat, "I have a good feeling that the TARDIS will be able to take off tomorrow." He wasn’t speaking in a whisper anymore and cast a glance at River. The latter hummed in response. "And when I’ll have repaired it, we’ll go and have a little holiday together, the four of us I mean." He hastily corrected himself and bit his lip behind his grin. "We’ll find a planet full on beaches and where it’s always sunny. Oh, and I’ll bring you all to the planet New Year. Have I told you about this planet, every minu—"

"Yes, you have." River deadpanned and blew him a kiss at his pout.

When they arrived at the town square, they majority of Leadworth was already there. It wasn’t as much a tradition for the Pond family as it was for every family of Leadworth. A crowd was already forming there and River recognised some faces from her previous life as Mels. 

It was three minutes before midnight and the crowd was full of life as people chatted and laughed together. In the dark, River felt the Doctor hand lace with hers and she looked up at him, a smile blooming across his face as she didn’t pull it away.

She threw a glance at her parents to see her mother already looking at her. She smiled timidly at her as Amy shook her head in amusement before smiling back at her, like a mother smiles at her child with pride. River didn’t have the time to think much about it as Amy threw her wink before turning back to Rory, resettling in his embrace.

Suddenly, someone began a countdown and everyone joined in. River quickly glanced at the Doctor to see him already looking longingly at her. She smiled

"Five." 

She let go of his hand and turned to him.

"Four."

She approached him and placed her hands on his chest.  

"Three."

He dropped one hand to her waist… 

"Two." 

...And brought the other to her face, tilting her chin towards him.

"One."

The fireworks going off startled her out of her dazzled state and she looked around her to see everyone cheering and hugging and kissing. She hastily looked back at the Doctor, he was gazing at her with a broad grin, one hand secured around her waist.

"Happy new year." He whispered to her only and caught her lips in his. She started for a second before relaxing into his embrace, closing her eyes and enjoying the feeling of his soft mouth against hers.

Her hands pulled him flush to her without her own accord but she didn’t really care. The noises around her soon became muffled by the bubble she had created in the comfort of this kiss. She opened her mouth against him and placed her hands on his face as their scent mingled. Her tongue stroked his lower lip with experience and she felt him smile against her mouth. The hand on her waist lowered to place itself at her hip, tugging her closer. In that blissful moment, only the two of them existed.

When they finally pulled away, seconds after or even hours after, they didn’t know, the Doctor placed his forehead on top of hers. Her eyes still closed, she felt his breath against her face and heard him let out a little chuckle. "Oops."

River slowly opened her eyes at this and looked at him with a frown. Suddenly, she became aware of everyone chatting and laughing around them and her eyes grew wide. The Doctor simply smiled in return.

She drew away from him and slowly turned around to see her parents reaction. Without suspense, they both were watching the two of them but with very different expressions. Her mother had a broad grin on her face and looked ready to squeal in delight. On the other hand, her father had an indescribable expression covering his face. He was frowning but at the same time was also glaring, she wasn’t really sure which.

"Oh, my God!" Amy screamed and several people around them glanced at the loud Scottish woman.

River felt a blush creeping up her neck and into her cheeks, she pressed her lips together. Unconsciously, she took a step back and collided into the Doctor, providing a nervous laugh from her part. She cast a glance at him and he smiled encouragingly, placing his hands on either side of her shoulders. Looking back in her parents direction, she felt a smile twitching at the corner of her lips.

Well, there was nothing better than discovering a secret for the new year to come.

 


	13. The Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter directly follows the last one.

"I think it’s time to use the thermo-coupling."

The Doctor’s head shot up at the sound of Rory’s voice. The latter was descending the stairs that lead to the space under the console. At his sight, the Doctor removed his googles and a frown appeared on his face.

"I appreciate the remark, Rory, but that won’t be necessary." Resuming his tinkering, the Doctor muttered under his breath about quantum physic and the level of intelligence it took him to master his ship.

Rory rolled his eyes in exasperation and came all the way down the stairs to be at the Doctor’s level. Pointedly raising an eyebrow at him, Rory crossed his arms over his chest to make the Doctor look up.

The man tinkering with his ship paid him no mind but cast a glance in his direction every now and then. As he saw that Rory wasn’t going to let it go, he turned his attention to him with a sigh. "What?"

"The thermo-coupling." He said, nodding to the little metallic contraption hanging above their head. "Use it."

The Doctor slowly glanced up to find it hanging just before his eyes. "Well, I don’t see how it’s going to change anything. Plus, how would you know?" 

Receiving a pointed look, he grudgingly took the thermo-coupling and assembled it to the stack of wires. Suddenly, the TARDIS made a content noise and the gentle humming returned. 

The Doctor shot a glare at Rory for humiliating him in front of his ship. Rory shrugged as if it was nothing. "That’s about the only thing you taught me to do on the TARDIS. I remember it well."

The Doctor grumbled, "Well, thank you, Rory. But I also remember why it was the only thing I taught you about it." He raised an eyebrow at Rory in defiance. "I remember it lead to a problem with your wife, her skirt and my glass floor. And I don’t want a repeat of that." He then proceeded to put back on his googles and resumed tinkering with his ship.

Rory huffed but said nothing. The TARDIS was finally humming normally under their feet and the two men fell silent. An awkward silence echoed between the two of them. The Doctor cast a glance a Rory every now and then and kept finding him in the same position as before. Rory seemed to be lost in thoughts and that only tightened the tense atmosphere under the console.

After some minutes, the Doctor dropped his tools and placed his googles on his forehead. "What is it, Rory?"

The other man turned his full attention to him. He opened his mouth to say something but quickly closed it, not having uttered a single word. The Doctor blinked, waiting for an answer.

When Rory cleared his throat, even the humming of the TARDIS ceased. As if it knew he was going to speak about something serious. The Doctor felt it too and gulped. It’s not that he feared Rory, not at all, he was his friend. But he also reminded himself that Rory was more than a thousand years older than him and he felt as if he was going to be lectured by his father.

"I want to talk to you about something." Rory said at last.

"So I gathered." The Doctor replied. Setting his face in a frown, he pressed his lips together. There was only one thing Rory was brave enough to lecture him for, and he didn’t know if he was ready to have this conversation now. "What is it about?"

The small voice he used to utter those last words made him feel like he did something wrong and was forced to tell his dad about. Which wasn’t, something wrong. It wasn’t wrong at all. Not for him at least.

"It’s about my daughter, River." His piercing blue eyes met the Doctor’s gaze. The latter dropped his eyes to the floor. Rory’s figure was quite imposing for the Doctor who was seated in his swing. The thought of raising his eyes to meet the Roman’s glare made him shudder. "I’ve understood that you and her are…together." Rory said, matter of factly. 

The Doctor sighed and wrung his hands together. "I’m sorry," He attempted a glance at Rory but the Roman looked at him with a disapproving glare. "I know you said…" Waving his hands in the air to prove his point, he felt at a loss for words. "But you know how-"

"Good grief, Doctor." Rory half-shouted. This made the Doctor startle a bit and he was forced to meet Rory’s gaze. "There was only one thing I begged you not to do. One. Thing." He said, emphasising his point with a raised index finger. 

"I know, I know." The Doctor said, raising his hands before him in self defence. "But it’s not that easy, I-"

"Not that easy?" His baffled expression made the Doctor stop in his speech. Rory sighed and passed a hand over his face. "I asked you one thing, just one single thing. I thought you would at least understand." The Doctor opened his mouth to speak but Rory stopped him with a hand. "I asked you to wait. To give her time to get accustomed to this new life of hers. I asked you not to throw yourself at her right away and give her time to choose." Rory exhaled through his nostrils. "I know that in the end it’s you and her, but I just wanted her to have a choice."

The Doctor, who had fallen silent, raised his eyes to meet Rory’s. "She has had a choice, and she chose." He pressed his lips together before speaking again, "I haven’t forgotten what you said to me and I tried to give her time, I truly did. But she chose by herself. And I was already willing to follow her." A small smile appeared on his lips as he dropped his gaze to the floor. "I know that what I did wasn’t the right thing to do, but I wouldn’t change it. For anything."

Rory nodded slowly, not saying anything. A silence fell in the console room as the two men below it were lost in their thoughts. The Doctor swayed a bit in his swing, toying with the screwdriver in his hands.

After a moment, Rory cleared his throat and the Doctor looked up. "Answer me this, then. Are you, yes or no, in a relationship with my daughter, Doctor?"

"Yes." He answered without hesitating. The meaning of this question was much more deeper than what it supposedly felt like, but the Doctor understood nonetheless. That why he answered so quickly. This was not simply an affirmation but it was a vow between a father and a beloved one.

"Good." Rory said at last. "My daughter is in a relationship with my best friend, it’s totally normal. It’s- it’s…perfect." He muttered to himself and the Doctor snorted in front of him. The Roman raised his eyes to him and he found the Doctor’s eyes sparkling with laughter. A smile formed on his lips, "You have to admit, it’s a bit weird. My daughter, who was a baby less than a year ago, is with my best friend."

"Yeah," The TARDIS seemed to hum contently under their feet to show that she also found it quite ridiculous. "But that’s River." The Doctor laughed. 

Rory rolled his eyes. "So, you two are together. I thought I would have more time before having to lecture some young men who’d want to date my daughter." The small awkward laugh that accompanied the statement made the Doctor stop laughing. He hoped Rory wasn’t going to turn this situation into something awkward. And here he thought the embarrassing phase of talking to the father of his girlfriend was past them. He was wrong. "So…" Rory pondered the thought for a second. "How long have you been dating my daughter?"

The Doctor pursed his lips together, waiting for the inevitable. "Hum, since September." He uttered in a small voice.

"September?" Rory looked at him with wide eyes. Merely nodding, the Doctor dropped his gaze to the floor. "So, for all this time I thought you were sticking to our rule of waiting but no, you were actually sticking your tongue down my daughter’s throat. And behind my back!"

The blush spreading across the Doctor’s cheeks only accentuated his embarrassment. "No, Rory. It’s nothing like that! It’s just…"

"Just what? Because the last time I saw you with my daughter, you two looked very cosy. And your tongue was nowhere near _your_ mouth." Rory uttered through clenched teeth.

"Well, okay." The Doctor held up his hands for his defence. "But we don’t just do that. And it’s not as if you were meant to see that. It was private!"

Rory laughed bitterly, "Well, you shouldn’t have snogged in plain sight, then." The Doctor grumbled something under his breath that sounded like 'it wasn’t my fault' and Rory huffed. "At least, you were only snogging." A startle made him stop, it’s after a moment that he understood it was actually himself who startled. "Please tell me there is a rule on your planet that says you’re only allowed to have sex after the wedding."

The Doctor’s head shot up to meet Rory’s eyes. "What?" He stammered as his whole face reddened. He opened and closed his mouth several time but each time the only sounds that came out were deconstructed syllables. "I-I’m…" 

His embarrassment showed the answer for him and Rory groaned, passing a hand through his hair. "Oh God, there aren’t." The Doctor dropped his gaze to the floor once more to hide his embarrassment. This was the mortifying conversation he has been avoiding. He had the impossible urge to put his fingers in his ears to stop this horrifying situation. "At least, tell me you’re using protection."

"Yes." The Doctor said hastily. "Yeah, yes of course." He nodded rapidly. "We’re fully…protected." A grimace made it’s way on his face at his awful phrasing.

"Right." Rory nodded too. The two men looked around them in an heavy silence. If someone every told Rory he would one day have to ask the Doctor, the last Time Lord of Gallifrey, the Incoming Storm, about condoms he would have laughed at their face. "Good." He cleared his throat. "Good."

Nodding silently, the Doctor tinkered a bit with the screwdriver in his hands. His cheeks were still slightly red and he could hear the humming of the TARDIS mocking him. Great, now he was been humiliated by his own ship.

Rory sighed, a small laugh escaping his mouth. The Doctor looked up with a frown to see him passing a hand through his hair. A questioning glance from the Doctor made Rory shook his head. "That was hard, I wasn’t really looking forward to this discussion with you. Quite embarrassing, you see."

The Doctor laughed at that remark. "Well, yeah."

"It’s not really my thing." Rory waved off. "Lecturing people I mean." Meeting the Doctor’s gaze, he laughed and the other man began to laugh with him. "But on a serious note," The Doctor’s smile dropped, "I hope my daughter is in good hands with you." Rory said and the Doctor hastily nodded. "I don’t want to be the embarrassing dad doing the 'you protect my daughter' speech, but it’s kind of true. Hurt my daughter and I will hurt you, there won’t be any place in the universe where you’ll be able to hide. You have a duty of care now, as I had one when she was born."

"Yes, Mr Pond." The Doctor said with a smile, doing a military salute.

"And you care for her, you cherish her and most importantly you love her. You hear me?" After Rory’s formal speech, the Doctor nodded. This was the most formal way to introduce him to the Pond family. But now, he felt like a real member of this family. Look at him, he was a Pond!

Rory outstretched his hand in front of him. The Doctor looked at it for a moment then a Rory’s eyes. Standing up, he clasped his hand into Rory’s and together they shook hands. There was now a promise between the two men. One person bringing together two men in one single vow : protection, a same duty of care for this one person.

A smile spread on the Doctor’s face. Still with Rory’s hand in his own, he engulfed him in a hug. Rory was surprised by the gesture and awkwardly patted the Doctor in the back. It’s not that he wasn’t fond of hugging but the gesture was still weird coming from the Doctor.

After some minutes a voice rose above them.

"It’s all very sweet and all. But I don’t need protection."

The two men receded from their hug and looked up to see River leaning on the railing, her face down to look at them. "River?" The Doctor spoke up. "How long have you been here?"

She smiled, "Long enough." Pushing away from the railing, she made her way down the stairs and towards them. Once at the bottom of the stairs, she approached them with a soft grin tugging at the corner of her mouth. "First of all, you look ridiculous." She said, her eyes directed to the Doctor.

His nonexistent eyebrows shot up skeptically. He hadn’t had the time to ask her why that she she snatched the googles from his head, which had been resting on his forehead for the whole time. Throwing them on the side, she made a content noise at his now, sticking on odd sides, hair.

Responding to the Doctor’s raised eyebrow with a smile, she continued, "And second of all, what is all this about?" A wave of her hand towards the two men emphasised her point. "I don’t need a legion of men doing a secret oath of protection on me. I’m not some damsel in distress. I can protect myself perfectly well."

"This is not an oath, River." Rory spoke up. "This is merely a little something between the Doctor and me. A little something that you shouldn’t have been listening to." He shot a glare in her direction and this made her snicker. 

"Okay, if you say so." She came into the Doctor’s personal space and placed her arm around his waist, tucking her head on his shoulder. The Doctor was still not yet accustomed to the public display of affection and so put his arm awkwardly around River’s shoulders, peeking at Rory to see if it was okay. "But you’re wrong about something."

Rory raised an eyebrow at his daughter, waiting for an explanation. "Really? Enlighten me then." A small smile peaked at the corner of his mouth as he confronted his daughter playfully.

"I’ve had a choice, he didn’t lure me into his arms." Raising her face to meet the Doctor’s eyes, she found him already looking at her. "I’ve had a choice and I chose him." She placed a hand over his chest to feel his hearts beating through the shirt. At last, she shifted her gaze to look at her dad in front of them. He was silently watching the interaction before his eyes. "It has always been him." She felt the Doctor’s hand tightening around her shoulder in silent acknowledgement. "And I think that you, more that anyone, would understand that." 

The Doctor dropped his hand to her waist and tugged her closer. She met his eyes and they shared a smile. He leaned down to kiss her forehead and she closed her eyes briefly at the gesture.

Rory, having watched the whole scenery before his eyes, cleared his throat. "And I think you’re right." Two sets of eyes turned to him and he smiled. "And what a choice you made." He laughed, nodding in the Doctor’s direction.

The latter blushed and River chuckled at his side. "Well, come on then." She tugged on the Doctor’s arm, leading him to the stairs. "I actually need your help with something."

"What is it?" He asked, taking her hand as she lead him up the stairs. He glanced at last at Rory and made a salute, the Roman responded with a wink.

"Just mum who can't open her wardrobe, she said the TARDIS locked it up to irritate her." She said, matter of factly.

"And did it work?" The Doctor said on the same tone as they rounded the console to go up the stairs leading to the sleeping quarters.

"Yes." River sighed. The Doctor laughed and placed his arm around her shoulders as they disappeared around a corner.

From under the console, Rory watched the two, shaking his head front fondly and with a small smile adorning his face. His daughter has made a perfect choice.

 


	14. Sweet Awakening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small fluffy (and plotless) chapter for you all, as we all like them :)

River shifted in the bed and crawled on top of the Doctor, her arms bracing her weight on either side of his face. A soft smile made its way on her face as she brushed his hair out of his forehead. The latter smiled sleepily and brought his hands to the skin between her camisole and panties. Her skin was soft under his fingers as he drew lazy patterns, making her squirm in his arms. 

He saw her biting her lower lip as she gazed intently into his hazel eyes, the small smile tugging at her lips making his heart melt. She resettled the duvet over their frame and dropped her face to the crook of his neck, breathing in the scent of time and space always clinging to him.

The peaceful cuddles in the morning were what the Doctor liked best. The sun was barely peeking through the blinds in Rivers’ bedroom at the Pond’s house and the two occupants were leisurely relaxing in each other’s embrace. There was no need for talking, they both knew how to have a conversation without saying a single word. 

River drew away to look into his eyes and smiled at his barely awake gaze. She lowered her lips to his for a lazy kiss and he made a small sound of contentment. Cupping his face in her hands, River broke the kiss to gaze at him. She could lose herself into his eyes when he looked at her like that, with a totally in love gaze.

Her mouth twitching into a smile, she brushed her lips against the corner of his mouth. The Doctor pushed his face in her direction to catch her lips between his own, the smile mirroring on his face. River playfully bit on his lower lips and chuckled at his soft groan. She released his lips with a pop and brushed her nose against his, closing her eyes at the quietness and privacy of the moment.

The Doctor lazily stroked her back under her camisole, enjoying the way she squirmed every now and then at his ticklish fingers. He opened his mouth under her to catch her lips and brushed to tip of his tongue against them as she playfully drew away. Her gaze was challenging and he smiled, the dimples on his cheeks appearing.

River brought her mouth to his jaw to give open mouthed kisses. She travelled to his right cheek where she knew his dimple was and kissed it in that open mouthed way he loved. Turning his head to catch her lips, he stroked her upper one with his tongue and silently asked for access. Happily granting him, River brushed her own tongue against his, marvelling in the way his tongue circled her own in an experimented way.

She resettled on top of him, squirming a bit to remove the duvet since it was getting quite hot under it. Without leaving the Doctor’s mouth, she stroked his hair, knowing the sounds he could make when she massaged his scalp. She felt his mouth twitch and a soft moan escaped him. He tugged her closer by the waist, eliciting from her the same noise of pure pleasure. 

There was nothing sexual in this. They simply enjoyed a quiet morning in bed, not really having any intentions in mind. They were just enjoying the moment. 

River pulled away to rest her forehead against his cheek, regaining her breathing. The Doctor resumed stroking her back and settled his head further into the pillow. He could feel her drop several kisses against his jaw and smiled, opening his eyes to gaze at her.  

The sun filtering through the blinds illuminated a part of her face, making particles of dust float around her face and before her eyes. He brought a hand to her hair and brushed some curls out of her eyes. In the sun, her eyes were of the bluest blue, but here they looked darker, like the sea at night or during a storm. She had a storm in her eyes.  

He brought a kiss to her crown and lingered there for a moment. Closing his eyes, he lowered the hand in her hair to her neck, stroking to soft flesh there and eliciting a content noise from River. He felt her flattening a hand against his chest and fist the cotton of his t-shirt in her palm.

"Hiya! Breakfast’s ready!" They both startled as the door threw itself open to reveal Rory. The latter gasped and quickly turned around, placing both hands over his eyes. "Sorry! Did I interrupt?"

A bit disoriented by the sudden apparition, River turned her head to her father, her bleary eyes still not yet focusing well. She rolled off of the Doctor, which was the one who had startled her more with his squeal of surprise. Scrubbing sleep out of her eyes, she suppressed a yawn, "No, it’s okay Dad."

Her father peeked at them before slowly turning around on the spot. He looked at the two occupants of the bed, still half in the world of dreams. The Doctor had placed an arm in front of his eyes to hide from the rays of the sun and was brushing through his hair with clumsy fingers.

"Well, breakfast’s ready. Come down when you want." He said and saw River nod in agreement. With a little smile, he went out of the bedroom, leaving them alone.

River cast a glance at the Doctor as he groaned his dissatisfaction of been awoken in such a way. She smiled softly as he reached for her and pulled her flush against him. He nuzzled his face against her hair and sighed, "Five more minutes."


	15. Dear Diary

Dear diary,

I’m scared.

I feel like I’m overlooking a cliff. With cops coming at me -or maybe dogs, this metaphor would be better with dogs, I think. Either way, whatever I’ll be doing, it’ll change everything. I could either jump, or backtrack. And I know that going towards one is going towards the future. Because going towards the other is sinking into the past. I don’t want to sink into the past -I don’t want to sink at all. 

But I know I can’t stay in this situation. The future, that’s the Doctor. He’s here, but I’m not. Not really, anyway. I’m warming up to him, I’m getting used to his presence by my side. I just haven’t opened up yet, I don’t feel comfortable yet in doing so. 

It’s scary. Knowing that, if you jump, someone would _always_ be there to catch you. Everyone says that the other way would be scary, but a little bit of danger doesn’t bother me. It doesn’t _scare_ me. It never did. What scares me is the trust he puts into this, the amount of rope he’s loosening of his heart -well hearts-, for _me_. This is both scary and exhilarating. 

It’s scary _because_ it’s exhilarating. I mean, I’ve always been one to go towards danger, towards the exciting stuffs. But this, this is the scariest thing I’ve ever been confronted to. It’s not danger, there’s no way out, no grand scheme, no plan. It’s just… letting go. Just, breathing out when the only thing you want to do is inhale as much air as you can. 

The thing I need to ask myself is: am I ready to kick the air out of my own lungs and open up my heart? I know the question is already answered inside my hearts. I think -this might be vague thoughts-, but I think it hasn’t travelled yet to my brain. My brain directs, it has been directing for my whole life. State of mind, state of heart more so, have never been something to include in my reflexions. Didn’t need to before. You don’t beat weapons with your hearts, you don’t beat an army with your hearts.

But you must beat your brain with your hearts. That’s the logical way. No, wait… That’s not. Logical is brain. Heart is irrational. But heart can be good too. Stop being rational for a moment, Melody. _Please?_ -If I could draw an irritated face I would, talking to myself while I’m talking to myself.  >_<. Ridiculous. 

So, what do my hearts tell me?

There comes a time when, you’re grown up, responsible, capable of thinking for yourself. You know you can do all those things, you’re proud to be able to do them. But in this instant, you’re just like… _fuck everything_. I know I’m responsible, I know I’m sensible. And I choose to live, and be happy about it. Bloody overthinking, if you even saw what you had in front of you, you wouldn’t be thinking twice about the what if’s. You would be running straight to what you love, what you trust. Towards a better part of you.

I don’t care about the world, or the universe even. I choose to go forwards, not because it’s what I’m told to do, nor because it’s what I’m meant to do -really not. But because _I_ want it. Because my hearts want it. 

And if my hearts are strong enough to loosen a bit of rope then my brain would soon follow, the door now open to a new part of me. A new part of my life. A life that, for the first time, would have been directed by my hearts. Scared, yes. But happy.

Exhilarating even.


End file.
